Christian doctor ‘fit to practise’ after trans pronoun self-referral
from Christian Concern:
A Christian doctor sacked by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for refusing to use hypothetical transgender pronouns has been vindicated by the General Medical Council (GMC) following a fitness to practise self-referral.
Dr David Mackereth, 60, had been an practising doctor for 26 years when he lost his job with the DWP. He told the DWP in a training session that in good conscience as a Bible-believing Christian he could not identify clients by their chosen ‘gender identity’ instead of their biological sex.
In response, the DWP declared that failing to accommodate clients’ preferences would amount to “harassment” under the Equality Act 2010 and dismissed Dr Mackereth from his role as a Health and Disability Assessor.
Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, Dr Mackereth launched a legal claim for discrimination on the grounds of his Christian and philosophical beliefs.
He lost his claim before the Employment Tribunal and although the verdict was partially overturned in May 2022 by the Employment Appeal Tribunal, the Tribunal still held that the DWP sacking had been justified. This decision was subsequently upheld by the Court of Appeal.
These rulings are believed to be the first time in the history of English law that a judge had ruled that free citizens must engage in compelled speech.
In response, Dr Mackereth believed he had no alternative but to self-refer to the GMC asking them to determine whether his fitness to practise is impaired due to his Christian and ‘gender-critical’ beliefs.
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