Judge upholds dismissal of Christian actress over Facebook post about homosexuality

An Employment Appeal Tribunal has upheld a previous judgment ruling that a theatre was inside the law when it dismissed a Christian actress over a Facebook post that was critical of homosexuality. 

Seyi Omooba shared the Facebook post in 2014 when she was a student. In it, she said, “I don’t imagine you may be born gay, and I don’t imagine homosexual practice is true, though the law of this land has made it legal does not imply it is true.” 

The post was dredged up five years later when she landed the lead role of Celie in a production of The Color Purple by Leicester Curve and Birmingham Hippodrome. 

Miss Omooba faced a backlash and received racist abuse and death threats over her casting. 

She was dismissed by Leicester Curve Theatre after she refused to retract the post and issue an apology. She was also dropped by her talent agency, Global Artists. 

The Central London Employment Tribunal later sided with the theatre and talent agency. On Thursday, Mrs Justice Eady on the Employment Appeal Tribunal in London upheld this earlier judgment. 

Miss Omooba, who’s being supported by the Christian Legal Centre (CLC), will now seek permission for an additional appeal to the second highest court in England, the Court of Appeal.

CLC chief executive Andrea Williams called the newest court judgment “unjust”.

“This is an open and shut case of discrimination against the Christian faith if there ever was one,” she said. 

“Seyi was racially abused, received death threats and was hounded out of her profession for a polite and temperate expression of what the Bible says about marriage.

“An unjust ruling which defends her sacking cannot stand and we shall be taking this to the Court of Appeal.”

Miss Omooba said:”I even have long forgiven all those that have sought to destroy my theatre profession, however the theatre world must be told, loud and clear, that cancelling people for his or her Christian beliefs is unlawful and mistaken.

“From the outset, the theatre was offering to pay me off for terminating my acting contract, and I’d not take that cash.

“This case is concerning the freedom of Christians to carry our beliefs in the fashionable world, and concerning the truth of what has happened to me.”