Transgenderism: Christian doctor says his legal fight will go on against ruling which slams the Book of Genesis

Dr David MacKereth had taken an tribunal against his former employers back in 2019, alleging that he had been unlawfully discriminated against in a dispute over his stance on transgenderism.

He lost the case, and in the course of rejecting his claim the tribunal judges made the following finding:

“...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”.

(Genesis 1:27, NIV, says: “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”)

Now Dr MacKereth (who, although based in England, worships online with Ballymena Free Presbyterian Church) has announced that he will appeal this ruling, and that proceedings are set to take place on March 28 and 29.

He will be supported by the Christian Legal Centre in his challenge.

‘AN ASTONISHING JUDGEMENT’:

The story began in 2018, when the English A&E specialist was just starting work as a government disability assessor.

His manager had a meeting with him about how to deal with people who identify as transgender.

There has been an explosion of people making such declarations in recent years, but the term “transgender” is often misunderstood.

The term nowadays does not refer to someone who has had a “sex change”.

Instead campaigners insist that any man can legitimately claim to be a woman without taking any hormones, having any surgery, or taking any legal steps to alter their identity.

They argue such people must automatically be admitted to the changing rooms, toilets, sports team or prison of their self-declared gender (and vice-versa for women).

They also argue that male and female are not the only genders, and that instead there is an undefined number of them, including ‘two-spirit’, ‘genderqueer’, ‘genderfluid’ and ‘neutrois’.

During the meeting with his boss, Dr MacKereth said that he would refuse to refer to a bearded six-foot tall man as “Mrs”, on both scientific and faith grounds.

He parted ways with his employer soon afterwards as a result.

Referring to the 2019 tribunal ruling againt him, the lobby group Christian Concern said: “It is believed to be the first time in the history of English law that a judge has ruled that free citizens must engage in compelled speech.”

And in a statement today, CEO of the Christian Legal Centre Andrea Williams said: “This was an astonishing judgment and one that if upheld will have seismic consequences not just for the NHS and for Christians, but anyone in the workplace who is prepared to believe and say that we are created male and female.

“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.

“This ruling cannot stand.”

CHROMOSOMES AND CHRISTIAN LOVE:

Dr MacKereth himself said in a statement: “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.

“The judgment from two years ago said to Christians ‘you have to believe in transgender ideology.’ That is totalitarianism.”

People opposing the ideas of gender activists frequently point to human genetics to support their stance that, whilst efforts can be made to alter someone’s appearance, at a fundamental level changing sex is impossible due to males having XY chromosomes and females XX – a facet which is impossible to alter.

“Everyone in the NHS should be able to say publicly without fear that a person cannot change sex,” said Dr MacKereth.

“But instead we are being forced to accept a massive change to our concept of the medical reality of sex, with no scientific basis for that change.

“No doctor, or researcher, or philosopher, can demonstrate or prove that a person can change sex.

“Without intellectual and moral integrity, medicine cannot function and my 30 years as a doctor are now considered irrelevant compared to the risk that someone else might be offended.

“As Christians we are not trying to be unkind to people in any way.

“As Christians we are called to love all people with Christian love.

“But we cannot love people truly when we live and disseminate a lie.

“If we are to tell patients that they need to ‘follow the science’, then we must not tell them that they can change sex.”

FORSTATER JUDGEMENT:

The MacKereth case has strong parallels with another tribunal brought by an Englishwoman called Maya Forstater, a tax researcher.

Her views on sex and gender are similar to the doctor, and she also found herself out of work as a consequence of them.

A tribunal ruled against her in 2019, and stated that her belief that men cannot become women is “not worthy of respect in a democratic society”.

She appealed, and in 2021 the original tribunal finding against her was quashed.

The Christian Legal Centre intend to argue that the binning of the judgement against Ms Forstater should also mean that the judgement against Dr MacKereth should now be vacated too.

More from this reporter:

Click here: Director of group hired to train PSNI dubbed police ‘racist oppressor pigs who deserve the wall’

Click here: Belfast court judgment hailed a landmark moment in UK transgender rights by influential campaign group Stonewall

Click here: US firm Allstate quiet on hiring policies after NI video reveals talk of gender-based targets

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