UK Supreme Court Rejects School Appeal in Christian Staff LGBT Dismissal Case

Kristie Higgs, a Christian mother and school employee, won a landmark legal battle after being dismissed for sharing social media posts critical of LGBTQ+ teaching at her son's Church of England primary school. The U.K. Court of Appeal ruled her dismissal was unlawfully discriminatory and a disproportionate response, overturning an earlier ruling that had upheld her firing for gross misconduct. The school sought to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court, but justices Lord Reed, Lord Hamblen, and Lady Simler declined to hear the case, effectively ending the legal dispute. Higgs expressed relief and emphasized that Christians should have the right to express their beliefs on social media and other non-work settings without fear of losing their jobs. The Christian Legal Centre, which supported Higgs, hailed the Supreme Court's refusal to hear the appeal as a significant victory for free speech and religious liberty, underscoring that ideological censorship in the workplace is illegal. This ruling sets a clear precedent protecting employees from employer disciplinary actions based on their sincerely held religious beliefs expressed outside of work.