Birmingham, England, Jul 14, 2018 / 05:04 am
Dr. David Mackereth, a Reformed Baptist who has worked for 26 years at the National Health Service, has said he was denied employment at the Department for Work and Pensions because he would not refer to transgender people using their preferred pronouns.
"I'm not attacking the transgender movement. But, I'm defending my right to freedom of speech, and freedom of belief," Mackereth told The Sunday Telegraph July 8.
"I don't believe I should be compelled to use a specific pronoun. I am not setting out to upset anyone. But, if upsetting someone can lead to doctors being sacked then, as a society we have to examine where we are going," he reflected.
Mackereth, 55, is from Dudley, 10 miles west of Birmingham. He was training to take a job as a disability assessor, but maintained his belief that sex is genetic and biological, and is the basis of gender. Mackereth spent much of his time at the NHS working in Accident and Emergency departments.
His instructor had said reports on those claiming disability must refer to the patient by their gender identity, in accord with the Equality Act 2010, an anti-discrimination law in England, Wales, and Scotland which includes sex, sexual orientation, and gender reassignment among its protected classes.
"I said that I had a problem with this. I believe that gender is defined by biology and genetics. And that as a Christian the Bible teaches us that God made humans male or female. I could have kept my mouth shut. But, it was the right time to raise it," Mackereth said.
He maintained that he could not in good conscience conform with the policy, and his contract was terminated.
Mackereth said that "Firstly, we are not allowed to say what we believe. Secondly, as my case shows, we are not allowed to think what we believe. Finally, we are not allowed to defend what we believe."
"By stating … that gender and sex are determined at birth - you can come under ferocious attack."
Under the Equality Act 2010 "everyone who holds my views can be sacked on the spot," he stated. "I'm not an isolated case."
