Christian Bigot Loses Sacking Case: Please Send Thoughts & Prayers

SHE looked pretty bloody miserable before challenging her sacking from a school for her homophobia, so what devout Christian Kristie Higgs must look like now after losing her case is anyone guess.

Last month we reported that teacher Higgs, 44, was sacked last for gross misconduct by Farmor’s School in Fairford, Gloucestershire, after sharing Facebook posts criticising plans to teach LGBT relationships in primary schools and that, with the support of the Christian Legal Centre (CLC) , she was taking her case to an employment tribunal, alleging that she was dismissed for her Christian beliefs.

We quoted her in the report as saying:

I have been punished for sharing concerns about Relationships and Sex Education. I hold these views because of my Christian beliefs, beliefs and views which are shared by hundreds of thousands of parents across the UK.

Well, yesterday Christian Concern glumly reported yet another failed legal challenge by its sister outfit, the CLC.

The Bristol Employment Tribunal dismissed Higgs’ case, finding that her sacking was not related to the Christian beliefs she expressed on social media, such as her opposition to sex education in primary schools or to the idea of gender fluidity.

Rather, her dismissal, according to Employment Judge Reed:

Was the result of a genuine belief on the part of the school that she had committed gross misconduct.

The judgment reads:

Although not stated as clearly or simply as this, the act of which we concluded Mrs Higgs was accused and eventually found guilty was posting items on Facebook that might reasonably lead people who read her posts to conclude that she was homophobic and transphobic …

That behaviour, the school felt, had the potential for a negative impact in relation to various groups of people, namely pupils, parents, staff and the wider community.

However, the Tribunal acknowledged that Higgs’ Christian beliefs on sexual ethics did not equate to homophobia or transphobia. The judgment notes:

She told us she ‘loved everyone’ and there was no reason to believe she would behave towards any person in a way such as to deliberately and gratuitously upset or offend them.

Yeah, Christians are always banging on about how much they love everyone while spewing hate. Frankly I’m appalled that the Tribunal swallowed Higgs’ baloney.

The Tribunal agreed with the school’s position that it was concerned that readers of her Facebook posts would see them as homophobic and transphobic rather than merely an expression of Christian beliefs “in a temperate and rational way”.

According to Christian Concern:

Kristie was subjected to intimidating questioning by the panel of three governors, supported by three other members of staff. Her posts were compared to ‘pro-Nazi’ views, and she was accused of intolerance.

When she tried to explain the context of her Christian beliefs she was told: ‘keep your religion out of it.’

Kristie argued that her aim had been merely to raise awareness among parents of the government’s education plans and the transgender books being taught in primary schools. The academy concluded, however, that Kristie would be dismissed for ‘illegal discrimination,’ ‘serious inappropriate use of social media, and ‘online comments that could bring the school into disrepute and damage the reputation of the school.

However, this week’s judgment of the Tribunal concluded, “we did not believe that any inappropriate comments were made” by the school’s disciplinary panel.

Enter the alarming Andrea Minichiello Williams, Chief Executive of the Christian Legal Centre (open link at your peril).

She said:

This judgment should concern all of us who care about the freedom to be a Christian believer in the UK.

Kristie has supposedly been dismissed, not for the posts she made, but for a deliberately distorted and unkind interpretation of the content that she linked to.

Even though her post was private to her family and friends she is being held responsible for what others might do with it. Even though no one actually thinks or claimed that Kristie holds hateful views, she is being fired because one anonymous ‘friend’ said they were and because others might think the same.

It is clear no actual harm has come to the school’s reputation as a result of her posts, but that she has been sacked as if it had. The posts were not even in relation to the secondary school but about the books being read in her son’s primary school.

This hearing has exposed this clear injustice and we will support Kristie for as long as it takes to turn this around.

Higgs intends to appeal the decision, and Christian Concern wants people to send thoughts and prayers.