Christian Doctor in England Loses His Job Over Transgender Language

“A Christian doctor lost his job in a government department after he refused to refer to ‘a six-foot-tall bearded man’ as ‘madam’, a tribunal heard. Dr David Mackereth, 56, claims he was sacked as a disability benefits assessor by the Department of Work and Pensions over his religious beliefs. The father-of-four alleges he was asked in a conversation with a line manager: ‘If you have a man six foot tall with a beard who says he wants to be addressed as she and Mrs, would you do that?’ Dr Mackereth, an evangelist who now works as an emergency doctor in Shropshire, claims his contract was then terminated over his refusal to use transgendered pronouns. He argues that he was dismissed ‘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’. The doctor is now suing the government at an employment tribunal for discrimination on the grounds of his religious belief. A hearing in Birmingham was told how Dr Mackereth believes transgenderism is a ‘delusional belief’ and an ideology ‘which I disbelieve and detest’. In a statement admitted into evidence, he told the court: ‘If you believe in gender fluidity, gender is no more than one’s own fantasy about oneself.’ In a statement put before the court, Dr Mackereth said: ‘I appreciate that in the present political climate, some people, including some of those who believe they are transgender, may find my beliefs to be offensive. However, in a free society, this is not a good enough reason to censor my beliefs and coerce me to act contrary to my conscience. Moreover, as a doctor, my responsibility is always to act in good conscience in the best interest of the patients--not to adopt various fancies, prejudices, or delusions, to avoid offence at all cost.’ Dr Mackereth added that his inherent belief is that transgenderism is a ‘rebellion against God, which is both pointless and sinful’. He said: ‘I am, of course, aware that there are men or women who believe they have been trapped in a wrong body, and I do not question the sincerity of their convictions. A small number of such people have always existed.  Up until recently, such a belief was considered by medics to be delusional and a symptom of a medical disorder. It is only recently that transgenderism has been recognized as normal and such delusional beliefs accepted at face value. What is responsible for that change is political pressure, not scientific evidence.’”

“Christian Doctor,” The Telegraph, July 10, 2019

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