Kristie Higgs wins case against LGBT gag after 7 years:
Landmark day for Christian freedoms and free speech!
February 13-
Christian school worker sacked for sharing social media posts criticising plans to teach LGBT+ relationships to pupils wins Court of Appeal battle over her dismissal.
Speaking outside the Royal Courts of Justice, Kristie Higgs today gave thanks to God for her free speech victory at the Court of Appeal
“In October 2018, I shared two private Facebook posts to raise awareness of the gender ideology that was going to be taught to young children in schools as part of statutory Relationships and Sex Education.
“Because of those posts, I lost my job.
“Today, after nearly seven years, the Court of Appeal has finally put that right.
“Expressing biblical Christian teaching on gender and sexuality may appear to be offensive to those who hold the opposite views, but as today’s judgment signals, Christians have a right to express their beliefs publicly.
“This is not just about me. Too many Christians have suffered discipline or marginalisation at their work because of their Christian faith.
“I’m thankful to Andrea Williams, Christian Concern and the Christian Legal Centre.
“Without them and everyone who supports them, I could never have come this far.
“I’m also deeply grateful to my family and all those who have been by my side and those who stand for truth.
“But most of all, I give all the praise, all the glory and honour to Elohim, my God, for it is by his grace and mercy that I stand here today.
“I pray that today will prove to be a landmark day for Christian freedoms and free speech.
“Christians have the right to express their beliefs on social media and at other non-work-related settings without fear of being punished by their employer.
“Expressing biblical truth is not discriminatory. It is an expression of love and of light.
“Today’s judgment is as important for free speech as it is for freedom of religion. Employers will no longer be able to rely on their theoretical fears of reputational damage or subjective concerns about causing offence to discipline employees for exercising their fundamental freedom to express their deeply held beliefs.
“The Court of Appeal has now set a clear standard to protect people like me, and the countless other Christians in this nation, to express their beliefs without fear of losing their jobs.
“Thank you.”
She thanked campaigners including Christian Concern and the Christian Legal Centre, adding: ‘I pray that today will prove to be a landmark day for Christian freedoms and free speech.
‘Christians have the right to express their beliefs on social media and at other non-work-related settings without fear of being punished by their employer.
‘Expressing biblical truth is not discriminatory. It is an expression of love and of light.
‘Today’s judgment is as important for free speech as it is for freedom of religion. Employers will no longer be able to rely on their theoretical fears of reputational damage or subjective concerns about causing offence to discipline employees for exercising their fundamental freedom to express their deeply held beliefs.
‘The Court of Appeal has now set a clear standard to protect people like me, and the countless other Christians in this nation, to express their beliefs without fear of losing their jobs.’
Supporters of Mrs Higgs, who had gathered outside the Royal Courts of Justice, sang Amazing Grace and other hymns outside the building after she read her statement.
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said today: ‘Free speech and religious liberty are not yet extinguished from the English law.
‘The outcome of Kristie’s case sets an important legal precedent for many years to come.
‘The Court of Appeal has confirmed, loud and clear, that ideological censorship at workplace is illegal, and any employer who tramples upon their employees’ right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion breaks the law of the land.
‘This is a great victory for Kristie, who lost her job and livelihood for doing no more than expressing her dismay at the nonsensical ideas of gender-fluidity being taught to her child at a Church of England primary school.
‘This decision proves that our work at the Christian Legal Centre in all those cases over all those years has not been in vain.
‘For all those who stood with us through much darker days of our 16-year-old battle for freedom, it is now time to rejoice and give thanks to God.’
In his judgment, Lord Justice Underhill, said Mrs Higgs’ social media posts regarding LGBT+ teaching in schools were ‘not grossly offensive’ and instead contained a ‘series of derogatory sneers’.
Mrs Higgs either copied and pasted from another source or reposted the content, adding her own reference on one post to ‘brainwashing our children’.
But the judge said that the risk of ‘widespread circulation’ of the posts was ‘speculative at best’, and that dismissing Mrs Higgs from her role was ‘unquestionably a disproportionate response’.
He said: ‘I do not believe that dismissal was even arguably a proportionate sanction for the claimant’s conduct.
‘It was no doubt unwise of her to repost material expressed in, to use the employment tribunal’s words, florid and provocative language with which she did not agree, and in circumstances where people were liable to realise her connection with the school.
‘But I cannot accept that that can justify her dismissal, and still less so where she was a long-serving employee against whose actual work there was no complaint of any kind.’
One of Mrs Higgs’ posts shared an article on the rise of transgender ideology in children’s books in American schools, adding: ‘This is happening in our primary schools now’
He concluded: ‘The dismissal of an employee merely because they have expressed a religious or other protected belief to which the employer, or a third party with whom it wishes to protect its reputation, objects will constitute unlawful direct discrimination within the meaning of the Equality Act.’
He said her posts were ‘political speech contributing to the ongoing debate on a matter of public interest’ and ‘a manifestation of her religious beliefs’.
The judge added that Mrs Higgs, who has denied being homophobic or transphobic, had worked with LGBT pupils and ‘there had never been any suggestion that she discriminated against them’.
Sean Jones KC, for the school, told the court in written submissions that remitting the case was ‘the appropriate course’ as ‘fuller reasons’ for the decision were needed.
He continued: ‘(Mrs Higgs) was not dismissed for manifesting (her beliefs) but because the manner in which it was manifested could reasonably have caused and did cause others to think she was expressing homophobic or transphobic views.’
Courtesy: Christian Concern: https://christianconcern.com/news/kristie-gives-thanks-to-god-for-her-free-speech-win/?fbclid=IwY2xjawIaaudleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHVmRIQK_oWVYZbjQhvHD-D_WPJ74Tp1tdsaQ5tVMfcXAZuUjWGOsM7_vKg_aem_YC5TnQmZv1nhG5LgdZtaoA
Daily Mail UK: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14388717/Christian-school-worker-sacked-sharing-social-media-posts-criticising-plans-teach-LGBT-relationships-pupils-wins-Court-Appeal-battle-dismissal.html
