[UK] £100k payout to tax expert sacked for saying people can’t change sex

A tax expert who lost her job after stating that people cannot change their biological sex has been awarded £100,000 compensation by judges at a London tribunal, Metro reports.

Maya Forstater was awarded the payout after an employment tribunal found she had experienced discrimination and victimisation at work. Her contract at the Centre for Global Development (CGD) think tank, where she worked as a researcher, was not renewed in March 2019 following tweets she made expressing her views.

Ms Forstater’s victory against the CGD reportedly follows a high court judge ruling in June 2021 stating that her views on the “immutability of sex” are a “philosophical belief” protected by equality legislation and should be “tolerated in a pluralist society”.

Three judges at a London tribunal awarded Ms Forstater compensation of £91,500 and interest of £14,904.31, in a judgment handed down on June 30.

The compensation is for loss of earnings, injury to feelings and aggravated damages after the CGD did not renew her contract or visiting fellowship.

Speaking to The Times following the decision, Ms Forstater said, “I’m happy it’s over and happy I got significant compensation.

“I think it sends a message to employers that this is discrimination like any other discrimination and that the compensation can be significant.

“Organisations are going to have to rethink all of their approach to equality and diversity to make sure they really are following the law and not just what activists tell them.”

Ms Forstater is a co-founder of the Sex Matters campaign group. She won three claims in her employment tribunal in July 2022 after appealing an earlier decision.

The tribunal was reportedly told that she had posted “inflammatory and objectionable” tweets about transgender people and opposed Government proposals to reform the Gender Recognition Act to allow people to identify as the opposite sex.

However, in July 2022 employment judge Andrew Glennie said the “complaints of direct discrimination because of belief are well founded” regarding the decision to not offer Ms Forstater a contract or renew a fellowship following her tweets.

Judge Glennie said that Ms Forstater’s complaint she was victimised after being removed from a company website was “well-founded”.

Ms Forstater had previously taken her case to an employment tribunal on the grounds that this constituted discrimination against her beliefs. Employment judge James Tayler originally dismissed her claim but High Court judge Mr Justice Choudhury later said the judgment had “erred in law”.

In a statement, a CGD spokesperson said, “Following the employment tribunal’s remedy judgment, the case brought against CGD, its president, Masood Ahmed, and CGD Europe by Maya Forstater will come to a close.

“CGD has and will continue to strive to maintain a workplace that is welcoming, safe and inclusive to all.

“The resolution of this case will allow us once again to focus exclusively on our mission: reducing global poverty and inequality through economic research that drives better policy and practice.”

Source: Metro

(Quotes via original reporting)

A tax expert who lost her job after stating that people cannot change their biological sex has been awarded £100,000 compensation by judges at a London tribunal, Metro reports.

Maya Forstater was awarded the payout after an employment tribunal found she had experienced discrimination and victimisation at work. Her contract at the Centre for Global Development (CGD) think tank, where she worked as a researcher, was not renewed in March 2019 following tweets she made expressing her views.

Ms Forstater’s victory against the CGD reportedly follows a high court judge ruling in June 2021 stating that her views on the “immutability of sex” are a “philosophical belief” protected by equality legislation and should be “tolerated in a pluralist society”.

Three judges at a London tribunal awarded Ms Forstater compensation of £91,500 and interest of £14,904.31, in a judgment handed down on June 30.

The compensation is for loss of earnings, injury to feelings and aggravated damages after the CGD did not renew her contract or visiting fellowship.

Speaking to The Times following the decision, Ms Forstater said, “I’m happy it’s over and happy I got significant compensation.

“I think it sends a message to employers that this is discrimination like any other discrimination and that the compensation can be significant.

“Organisations are going to have to rethink all of their approach to equality and diversity to make sure they really are following the law and not just what activists tell them.”

Ms Forstater is a co-founder of the Sex Matters campaign group. She won three claims in her employment tribunal in July 2022 after appealing an earlier decision.

The tribunal was reportedly told that she had posted “inflammatory and objectionable” tweets about transgender people and opposed Government proposals to reform the Gender Recognition Act to allow people to identify as the opposite sex.

However, in July 2022 employment judge Andrew Glennie said the “complaints of direct discrimination because of belief are well founded” regarding the decision to not offer Ms Forstater a contract or renew a fellowship following her tweets.

Judge Glennie said that Ms Forstater’s complaint she was victimised after being removed from a company website was “well-founded”.

Ms Forstater had previously taken her case to an employment tribunal on the grounds that this constituted discrimination against her beliefs. Employment judge James Tayler originally dismissed her claim but High Court judge Mr Justice Choudhury later said the judgment had “erred in law”.

In a statement, a CGD spokesperson said, “Following the employment tribunal’s remedy judgment, the case brought against CGD, its president, Masood Ahmed, and CGD Europe by Maya Forstater will come to a close.

“CGD has and will continue to strive to maintain a workplace that is welcoming, safe and inclusive to all.

“The resolution of this case will allow us once again to focus exclusively on our mission: reducing global poverty and inequality through economic research that drives better policy and practice.”

Source: Metro

(Quotes via original reporting)