Kristie Higgs, a 46-year-old Christian teaching assistant, has won an appeal against her 2019 dismissal from Farmor’s School in Fairford, Gloucestershire, England. Initially fired for alleged gross misconduct over Facebook posts criticizing the introduction of gender ideology within education in primary schools, Higgs fought back with the support of the Christian Legal Centre.
A key post by Higgs showcased an article on the rise of transgender themes in American children’s books, adding, “This is happening in our primary schools now,” The Telegraph reported. Her commentary came to light after she discovered that her child’s Church of England school planned to use books dealing with what she called “confusing and harmful gender identity,” including a book titled “My Princess Boy.”
Higgs didn’t stop there. She went on to say that this was akin to “brainwashing our children.”
Farmor’s School denied that her Christian beliefs were the reason for dismissal, and pointed instead to the language she used in her posts.
Higgs took the school to an employment tribunal, arguing unlawful discrimination based on her Christian beliefs. In 2020, the tribunal recognized that her beliefs were protected under the Equality Act but maintained that the school had the right to let her go.
Higgs pressed on with an appeal at the Employment Appeal Tribunal in London, where the tide turned in her favor.
Justice Eady, who presided over the case, stated that the heart of the upcoming hearing would revolve around whether the school’s dismissal was “because of, or related to, the manifestation of the claimant’s protected beliefs, or were due to a justified objection to the manner of that manifestation.”
