A British employment tribunal has ruled that a Christian doctor’s biblical understanding of sexuality and lack of belief in transgenderism is “incompatible with human dignity.”
After being fired from his job in 2018 for refusing to use pronouns that do not correspond to a person’s biological sex, disability assessor Dr David Mackereth filed a complaint against the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) for harassment and discrimination under the Equality Act.
In its decision this week, the panel declared that Dr Mackereth’s biblical belief that “God made humans male or female” was “incompatible with human dignity”.
The tribunal ruled explicitly on three positions taken by Dr Mackereth that made him unable in good conscience to address a person as if they were a member of the opposite sex.
The court referred to Mackereth’s “belief in Genesis 1:27,” a passage from the Bible that states: “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
Second, the court cited the doctor’s “lack of belief in transgenderism” since he refuses to accept that it is possible for a person to change their sex.
Finally, the tribunal referenced Mackereth’s “conscientious objection to transgenderism” and his belief that it would be irresponsible and dishonest for a health professional to accommodate and/or encourage a patient’s impersonation of the opposite sex.
The tribunal determined that Dr Mackereth’s three beliefs are not protected because they “are incompatible with human dignity and conflict with the fundamental rights of others, specifically here, transgender individuals.”
The ruling suggests that belief in “Genesis 1:27” along with a “lack of belief in transgenderism” are now sufficient grounds for punishment in the United Kingdom, in this case, loss of employment.
In response to the ruling, Dr Mackereth said he feels obliged to appeal.
“I believe that I have to appeal in order to fight for the freedom of Christians to speak the truth,” he said. “If they cannot, then freedom of speech has died in this country, with serious ramifications for the practise of medicine in the UK.”
“No doctor, or researcher, or philosopher, can demonstrate or prove that a person can change sex,” he added. “Without intellectual and moral integrity, medicine cannot function and my 30 years as a doctor are now considered irrelevant compared to the risk that someone else might be offended.”