Judge rules it legal for employer to fire worker over transgender views

In a first-of-its-kind case in the United Kingdom, a judge has ruled it legal for a company to fire an employee for expressing her views that transgender women are not real women.

Maya Forstater, who was a tax expert at The Centre for Global Development (CGD), was fired in March 2019 for a series of tweets to argue that “men cannot change into women.”

The 45-year-old subsequently sued her former employer on grounds of discrimination, citing the UK’s 2010 Equality Act.

But tribunal Judge James Tayler dismissed her case, saying her position on the issue is “not a philosophical belief protected by the Equality Act” and “is not worthy of respect in a democratic society.”

Forstater is now deciding whether to appeal the ruling.