David Mackereth, a Christian doctor in the United Kingdom, was dismissed from his position as an accident and emergency department (A&E) doctor in 2018 when he refused to call a biological male patient "madame" because it did not align with his religious beliefs. He said his religious beliefs are protected by federal law.
According to the Christian Headlines, a British judge ruled against Mackereth in 2019, arguing that the doctor's biblical beliefs about gender are not "worthy of respect in a democratic society" and are "incompatible with human dignity." The Christian doctor then appealed the decision to the Employment Appeal Tribunal, which is set to hear the case on March 28 to 29. Mackereth is being represented by the Christian Legal Centre.
"My case affects everyone, not just me and Bible-believing Christians, but anyone who is concerned by compelled speech and transgender ideology being enforced on the NHS and other public services," Mackereth argued.
"The judgment from two years ago said to Christians 'you have to believe in transgender ideology.' That is totalitarianism," the Christian doctor continued. "It made out Christianity to be nothing, the Bible to be nothing. That cannot be allowed to stand."
According to CBN News, the 56 year old physician with 28 years of experience previously worked as an emergency doctor for the National Health Service and was fired in June 2018 after being "interrogated" about his personal religious beliefs by his superior, James Owen. Mackereth refused to use transgender pronouns and claimed during the hearing that he was let go "not because of any realistic concerns over the rights and sensitivities of transgender individuals, but because of my refusal to make an abstract ideological pledge."
Mackereth's attorneys argued in court in 2019 that the hospital's policy of compelling staff to use transgender pronouns violated the Equality Act. They also accused the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) of violating Mackereth's right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.
Mackereth's attorneys also argued that the DWP discriminated against the Christian doctor because of his beliefs, arguing that his "conscientious objection to transgenderism" is based on his beliefs that "it would be irresponsible and dishonest for a health professional to accommodate and/or encourage a patient's impersonation of the opposite sex."
Mackereth's appeal comes after a landmark case involving Maya Forstater, a British woman who was also fired from her job after she declared that men cannot change into women. Forstater won her appeal after the High Court ruled that her religious beliefs were protected by the Equality Act.
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre underscored how "The teaching of Genesis 1:27 is repeated throughout the Bible, including by Jesus Christ himself. It is fundamental to establishing the dignity of every human person but is, in a bizarre ironic twist, being branded as incompatible with that dignity."
