In
Mackereth v. Department for Work and Pensions, (Empl. Trib., Oc. 2, 2019), a British Employment Tribunal held that while a doctor's Christian religious beliefs are protected under the
Equality Act, his refusal to refer to transgender patients who he was hired to assess by their preferred pronouns and titles constitutes unlawful discrimination and harassment under the Equality Act. The Tribunal said in part:
We accept that the belief in Genesis 1:27, lack of belief in transgenderism and conscientious objection to transgenderism ... are genuinely held and ... relate to a weighty and substantial aspect of human life and behaviour and attain a certain level of cogency, seriousness, cohesion and importance....
Irrespective of our determinations above, ... belief in Genesis 1:27, lack of belief in transgenderism and conscientious objection to transgenderism in our judgment are incompatible with human dignity and conflict with the fundamental rights of others, specifically here, transgender individuals....
... [T]he right to manifest a religion or belief is subject to art. 9(2) [of the European Convention on Human Rights] which includes “the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.”....
Law & Religion UK has more on the decision.
