Social employee’s Christian beliefs could cause suicide amongst LGBT patients, employment tribunal hears

An employment tribunal in Leeds has heard suggestions that a Christian social employee’s beliefs could lead on to the suicide of vulnerable members of the LGBT community. 

The tribunal is hearing discrimination claims brought by Felix Ngole after a job offer was withdrawn by Touchstone Support Leeds. 

Mr Ngole, a 46-year-old pastor in Barnsley, lost the job after Touchstone discovered that he won a landmark free speech case against Sheffield University, who removed him from a social employee training course over Facebook posts during which he called homosexuality “wicked” and “sinful”.

He was called back for a second interview by Touchstone but they withdrew the job offer despite his assurances that he would offer support to vulnerable people from all backgrounds and that he had never discriminated against anyone. 

Touchstone said that his beliefs didn’t “align” with their ethos as an “inclusive employer” and that he posed a risk to the organisation’s popularity.

Kathryn Hart, Touchstone’s deputy chief executive, told the tribunal she was concerned that Mr Ngole’s “viewpoints on LGBTQI+ relationships and same sex marriage could be visible to all, and it was of significant concern to me how the Claimant’s views could potentially negatively impact the vulnerable service users”, The Telegraph reports.

The Christian Legal Centre, which is supporting Mr Ngole, said that in this week’s hearing, one other senior member of staff at Touchstone suggested that expressing the assumption that there are only two genders could “result in death” and that sharing the Bible verse John 3:16 could be “triggering” for LGBT service users.

Giving evidence, Mr Ngole told the tribunal that he “felt offended and offended” when the job offer was withdrawn and like his faith was “under attack”.

“I might not discriminate against people. I might never and have never discriminated against anybody. My faith doesn’t allow me to discriminate against people,” he said. 

He added, “As a Christian I don’t see any conflict in working with and for people from the LGBT community.”

The hearing continues next week.