Christian disability assessor who was sacked by the DWP for refusing to call transgender woman 'she' takes fight to High Court - insisting his faith means he should not be forced to address a 6ft bearded man as 'madam'.
- Dr David Mackereth from Dudley accused DWP of unlawfully sacking him in 2018
- Tribunal upheld decision and said his views as 'incompatible with human dignity'
- Dr Mackereth's lawyers will take case to the High Court to appeal against ruling
- They believe Maya Forstater case last year sets precedent that protects his views
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Dr David Mackereth (pictured) lost his battle against the DWP because he refused to refer to people by their preferred pronoun instead of their biological sex
A Christian doctor who was sacked because he refused to refer to transgender people by their chosen sex or 'call any 6ft tall bearded man madam' will take his fight to the High Court.
Dr David Mackereth claims his Christian beliefs are being 'coerced and threatened' in a bid to 'affirm' the increasing number of patients who identify as transgender.
Dr Mackereth, an A&E doctor with 28 years' experience, was sacked as a medical assessor for the Department of Work and Pensions in 2018 after refusing to identify clients by their chosen gender instead of their biological sex.
In July 2019, supported by the Christian Legal Centre, he took his case to an Employment Tribunal in Birmingham claiming harassment and discrimination based on his Christian beliefs.
He claimed his employer had breached his right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
But a panel condemned his view of what it means to be male and female as 'incompatible with human dignity'.
Dr Mackereth said during proceedings that he was asked in a conversation by his 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, who now works as an NHS emergency doctor in Shropshire, said that in good conscience he could not do this.
