Claiming to be ‘non-feminist’ could be discrimination

CLAIMING to be a “non-feminist” at work could be an act of discrimination, an employment tribunal has ruled.

An Environment Agency manager who said he was forced out of his job because of his views had his claim dismissed, with a judge saying not agreeing with equality and diversity in the workplace was a “questionable” belief that conflicted with the rights of colleagues.

Ruling against Kevin Legge, Robin Postle, the judge who chaired the tribunal, suggested holding such views could be in breach of equality laws.

Mr Legge had alleged that he lost his job after resisting what he claimed was his female boss’s agenda to promote women rather than men.

The father of one argued feminism was a belief system that he did not adhere to and as a result he was treated less fairly by his manager. However, the tribunal found he had behaved “unreasonably” and ordered him to pay £20,000 of the agency’s £106,000 legal costs.

“The tribunal were slightly perplexed by his philosophical belief being a non-feminist,” the judge said. “It would appear to the tribunal a feminist is simply about all genders having equal rights and opportunities as men.

“Something the Environment Agency strived to achieve is an inclusive workforce and still maintaining the best can- didate for the roles. It is an aspiration that the workforce fully reflects the diversity of the society it seeks to serve.”

The judge said the tribunal accepted Mr Legge believed in non-feminism, but added: “Whether his belief can be described as a substantial aspect of human life is questionable.

“Likewise on the question of attaining a certain level of cogency, seriousness, cohesion and importance.

“It is certainly not worthy of respect or compatible with human dignity, and does conflict with the rights of others. In fact, the tribunal felt that his maintaining his non-feminist view was in fact discriminatory in itself.”

Mr Legge took the Environment Agency to a tribunal in 2022 claiming discrimination based on a philosophical belief, sex discrimination, victimisation and unfair dismissal. But his former employers argued he had been sacked for moonlighting as a counsellor when he was supposed to be working fulltime for them.

‘The tribunal were slightly perplexed by his philosophical belief being a non-feminist’