A Christian educator who has been banned from teaching in the UK for breaching a school gender policy, is appealing against his expulsion from the profession. Joshua Sutcliffe is basing his appeal on new government transgender guidelines for schools. They declare that no teacher should be compelled to use preferred pronouns, adding that teachers can refer to students collectively as ‘boys’ or ‘girls’, even in the presence of a child that has been allowed to change pronouns.
“I feel vindicated by the government guidance, but this means nothing if my ban is not now overturned. To continue to be barred from the profession I love in light of the draft guidance would be another of the many cruel injustices I have had to face for expressing my Christian beliefs,” Mr. Sutcliffe stated.
The maths teacher was sacked seven years ago for saying “Well done girls” to two biologically female pupils, not realising that one of them identified as a boy. He immediately apologised after observing the child’s distress, but the Teaching Regulation Authority (TRA) banned him from teaching last year.
The 33-year-old argued he had never been trained on how to address transgender students in class. “In 2017, there was no training and no guidance on these issues for teachers. I was a young teacher building my career in the profession at a time when schools were taking guidance from [LGBT group] Stonewall, not the government or any experts on these issues,” he noted.
He explained that as a Christian, he chose to avoid using male pronouns like ‘he’ and ‘him,’ but would often simply address the student by name, which is consistent with the school’s policies. “I had always tried to respect the pupil and keep a professional attitude as well as my integrity, but it seemed to me that the school was trying to force me to adhere to its liberal, Leftish agenda,” Mr. Sutcliffe told British newspapers.
The Christian Legal Centre is appealing his ban to the High Court and seeking a judicial review of the decision. Chief Executive Andrea Williams said: “It’s now high time for justice for Joshua. The teaching ban must be lifted. He has been vindicated by the government guidance. We can’t underestimate the chilling impact that the ruling in Joshua Sutcliffe’s case has had. Teachers are intimidated into silence for fear of losing their jobs if they say something with which the regulator disagrees.”
Photo: Christian Legal Centre
