Forstater v Center for Global Development Europe

rdf:langString Forstater v Center for Global Development Europe

rdf:langString Maya Forstater v Center for Global Development

rdf:langString Full merits hearing March 2022

rdf:langString Employment Appeal Tribunal:

rdf:langString Employment Tribunal:

rdf:langString Central London Employment Tribunal

rdf:langString James Tayler for the original tribunal, Mr Justice Choudhury for the appeal

rdf:langString Forstater v Center for Global Development Europe is an ongoing UK labour-law case brought by Maya Forstater against the Center for Global Development (CGD). The Employment Appeal Tribunal established that gender-critical views are protected as a belief under the Equality Act 2010. The Tribunal further clarified that this finding does not mean that people with gender-critical beliefs can express them in a way that discriminates against trans people. In 2019, Forstater's consulting contract for CGD was not renewed after she published a series of social media messages describing transgender women as men during online discourse regarding potential reforms to the Gender Recognition Act, which led to concerns being raised by staff at CGD. Forstater challenged the non-renewal of her contract at the Central London Employment Tribunal. In December 2019, a hearing was held to establish whether Forstater's beliefs qualified as a protected belief under the Equality Act 2010. Judge Tayler ruled that they did not, stating that her gender-critical views were "incompatible with human dignity and fundamental rights of others". Forstater appealed against the judgment, and this was heard by the Employment Appeal Tribunal in April 2021. Judgment was reserved with the decision in her favour published on 10 June 2021. As with the original hearing, the appeal was on the narrow issue of whether her beliefs were protected under the Equality Act, therefore amounting to a protected belief. The judgment found that Forstater's beliefs were protected, meeting the final requirement in Grainger plc v Nicholson, specifically that they were "worthy of respect in a democratic society". At a subsequent full merits hearing, the Employment Tribunal upheld Forstater's case, concluding that she had suffered direct discrimination on the basis of her gender critical beliefs.

rdf:langString Employment Appeal Tribunal