Dr David Mackereth, a disability assessor from West Midland, has ended up losing his case against the Department for Work and Pensions which allegedly breached breached his right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion regarding his refusal to use trans pronouns, the BBC reports.
According to the media outlet, the hearing was told that Mackereth “refuse to refer to "any 6ft-tall bearded man" as "madam" following a conversation with a manager at an assessment centre and later left his role”.
The tribunal panel, however, decreed that the DWP didn’t breach the Equality Act and dismissed the doctor’s complaints, with the latter announcing his intent to appeal the ruling.
"A 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," the judgement said.
In response, Mackereth said that he was “deeply concerned” by the ruling, arguing that “without intellectual and moral integrity, medicine cannot function” while his “30 years as a doctor are now considered irrelevant compared to the risk that someone else might be offended”.
"I believe that I have to appeal in order to fight for the freedom of Christians to speak the truth. If they cannot, then freedom of speech has died in this country, with serious ramifications for the practise of medicine in the UK", he remarked.
Commenting on this development, some social media users voiced their sympathy for Mackereth’s cause and suggested that he should indeed appeal the ruling, while others seemed to side with the court instead.
Wow, I guess Dr Mackereth will have no option now but to take this to the higher courts. I for one do not accept that biological males can become true women, or vice versa, no matter how many drugs, hormones and surgeries they receive. Am I now obliged to think otherwise? https://t.co/qKAq88C9EL
— Neil Swinnerton (@NASwinnerton) 2 октября 2019 г.
Your right to have a belief doesn't give you a right to discriminate against others.
— James Tilsley (@James_Tilsley) 2 октября 2019 г.
Wow, I guess Dr Mackereth will have no option now but to take this to the higher courts. I for one do not accept that biological males can become true women, or vice versa, no matter how many drugs, hormones and surgeries they receive. Am I now obliged to think otherwise? https://t.co/qKAq88C9EL
— Neil Swinnerton (@NASwinnerton) 2 октября 2019 г.
Frustrating that this man should be so ungracious to others to the point where he would give up using his skills to heal and would call it Godliness. Christ like? I think not. #notmygod
— Susan Prior (@colourandlight1) 2 октября 2019 г.
BBC News - David Mackereth: Christian doctor loses trans beliefs case https://t.co/N7MYPAVECs
