Pastor unfairly sacked by school over ‘Gay Pride is harmful’ tweet
A PASTOR who was sacked as a school caretaker after claiming the Gay Pride movement was “harmful” to children has won his unfair dismissal case.
Keith Waters, 55, a minister at an evangelical church, had accused school chiefs of religious discrimination and constructive dismissal.
He said he was forced out of his job as a part-time caretaker at the Isle of Ely Primary School in Cambridgeshire as a result of his comments. He was accused of homophobia and some parents wrote to the school to complain.
As a result, Mr Waters alleged that he had to choose between his caretaker role and freedom to express his Christian faith on social media, and that the tweet which he posted on June 1 2019, and which he later deleted, was an expression of a “Christian viewpoint” on LGBTQ Pride events .
However, following a hearing in January at a Cambridge employment tribunal, Sarah King, the judge, found in favour of the pastor’s freedom to express his beliefs on human identity and sexual morality on social media.
Furthermore, the ruling found that Christian pastors who have employment alongside their church ministries are free to express their biblical faith online without fear of losing other jobs.
Handing down judgment on the case this week, Ms King ruled that the pastor had been discriminated against by the school, saying: “The fact that the claimant made the tweet outside work on his personal [social media] account as part of his role as a Christian minister is highly relevant. It is one thing to have rules that apply during work and something else to extend those to one’s private life outside work.”
Ms King added: “To curtail the claim- ant’s freedom of speech outside of work, which is an important part of his role as a Christian minister, and thus part of freedom to practise his religion, must be done with some exercise of caution, and only in the clearest cases, where the rights of others are being damaged, should the school intervene to prevent the claimant from preaching.
“It is clear to us that evangelical Christian ministers will have views not [shared] by everyone in society but that
it is part of their duty as a Christian minister to preach those beliefs.”
Following the ruling, Mr Waters, who is now a pastor at a church in West Street Evangelical Church, Carshalton, south London, and was supported in his case by the Christian Legal Centre, said he was “relieved and pleased with the outcome”.
He said he continued to “stand by what I said” and added: “This is a victory, not just for me, but for Christian evangelical leaders across the country. I pray this ruling will help protect pastors in the future who have to work part time in other jobs to make up their income.
“This is an important win for our freedom to speak the truth of the gospel without fear of losing our jobs.
“I took legal action, not because I wanted to sue the school but because what happens to me goes to the heart of what it means to be free to preach the gospel in the UK. I believed the issues my case raised were much bigger than anything that was happening to me and that it was the right thing to do.”
He added: “I still stand by what I said, and I’ll always stand up for the truth.
“I believe that children’s safety is paramount, and that everyone, but especially Christian pastors, must be able to voice concerns and ‘raise red flags’ where children may be at risk.
“Anyone who attends a Pride event risks being exposed to obscenities.
“That is self-evidently harmful for children and in a free, responsible and truly loving society we must be free to say that and raise concern without fear.”
In 2019, Mr Waters had tweeted: “A reminder that Christians should not support or attend LGBTQ Pride Month events held in June.
“They promote a culture and encourage activities that are contrary to Christian faith and morals. They are especially harmful to children.”
His comments were condemned online as homophobic and some parents wrote to the school to complain.