Employer fired her when she advocated for biblical marriage standard
A candidate for mayor in a London borough has won a substantial payout after being sacked by her employer for stating her Christian views in her election manifesto.
Maureen Martin was supported in her fight with her housing association employer, L&Q, by the Christian Legal Center.
Its chief, Andrew Williams, said, “Maureen is a courageous woman treated appallingly for having the guts to declare her belief that marriage between a man and a woman is best for children and our society.
“For speaking about a positive vision of life and marriage as a building block for the good of our society she was silenced and de-platformed in the political space for boldly speaking about her faith in Jesus. “We had never seen a case like this which sent a crushing message to anyone who believes in Christian marriage and wishes to express those beliefs at work or in public office.”
The center reported that Martin had been dismissed for “gross misconduct” after complaints of the alleged “hate” speech.
The settlement, not fully disclosed, was reached after considering her loss of earnings, injury to her feelings and more.
“The case is believed to be the first of its kind to see a political candidate sacked by their employer for their Christian beliefs,” the center reported.
Martin is an ordained minister and president of the Christian Peoples’ Alliance. She had worked as a housing manager for 13 years, without a blemish on her record.
As a candidate she had outlined her positions on a variety of issues, including marriage, where she said, “Marriage: I pledge to cut through political correctness and simply state the truth that natural marriage between a man and a woman is the fundamental building block for a successful society, and the safest environment for raising children.”
Those who disagreed with her biblical perspective then “hounded” her on social media, submitted anonymous complains and claimed she engaged in “hate” speech.
Her employer dismissed her.
And she sued for discrimination, harassment, indirect discrimination, and unfair dismissal.
Her lawyers argued her dismissal was in breach of her right to political speech under Articles 9 and 10 of the ECHR and that her dismissal was “outside the band of reasonable responses” in all the circumstances of the case, the center reported.
Martin said, “I know God brought me through this situation and I cannot emphasize more the importance of Christians taking a stand when being discriminated against.”
