A teacher is that this week giving evidence about her sacking from a college after she refused to deal with a transitioning female pupil as a boy.
The teacher, who can only be named Hannah for legal reasons, was told by her school that she had to deal with the kid by their recent name and pronouns. Under the varsity’s policy, the kid was also to be allowed to make use of toilets and changing rooms of the alternative sex.
Hannah, a committed Christian, says she was dismissed by the varsity, where she had worked for five years, after she raised safeguarding concerns concerning the welfare of the kid and other pupils at the varsity.
She says her concerns were ignored by school bosses, governors and the local authority.
Her dismissal got here when she accessed and divulged information to lawyers as she sought a judicial review into the varsity and council’s refusal to act on her concerns.
The school argued that the knowledge shared with lawyers was confidential.
At an employment tribunal hearing the case in Nottingham this week, she is going to claim victimisation for whistleblowing, unfair dismissal, and discrimination on the grounds of her Christian beliefs.
She may also argue that extreme LGBTQI+ ideology is influencing the varsity’s policies and that her sacking amounts to overreach.
Speaking ahead of the hearing, Hannah, who faces the prospect of never having the ability to teach again, said the motion she took was “in the general public interest”.Â
“It is because I care a lot about children that I’m taking this motion. This is not about me simply attempting to prove that I’m right, but concerning the safety of seriously distressed children,” she said.Â
“I couldn’t take part in causing harm to Child X. The tragic stories of ‘detransitioners’, the Policy Exchange report and clear expert scientific evidence, back and vindicate me.
“Teachers are being bullied to not query trans affirming policies but evidence shows they put the welfare of youngsters at serious risk.
“I’m determined to pursue justice over how I even have been treated because my primary concern and motivation is to guard this child and other children on this country from harm.”
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said: “For years, parents and teachers who’ve raised safeguarding concerns over these issues have been ignored and disbelieved despite clear expert evidence demonstrating the harm trans affirmation causes.
“The Policy Exchange report highlights that faculty leaders and teachers are endemically failing to follow standard safeguarding protocols in relation to ‘transitioning’, but on this case, we see what happens to a teacher who tries to do it right.
“This story exposes the confusion and untruths being embedded in primary schools that are developing right into a public health crisis.
“The Department for Education must look closely at this case and take appropriate motion to guard teachers, who often hold Christian beliefs on these issues, from being hounded out of the occupation for opposing and even questioning transgender ideology.”
