Teacher 'protected' pupil by rejecting pronouns

A teacher who was sacked for refusing to use a student's chosen pronouns believed he had a duty to safeguard the student by discouraging it, a tribunal has heard.

Kevin Lister was dismissed by New College Swindon in September 2022 for gross misconduct. The maths teacher has described transgender ideology as a "cult".

He refused to use the 17-year-old pupil's preferred male name and pronouns, instead "gesturing" at them and writing their birth name on the class whiteboard.

He is currently appealing against a Bristol employment tribunal's decision that he was not unfairly sacked or discriminated against for his "extreme views" on gender.

The tribunal concluded in 2024 that Lister was dismissed for expressing his beliefs in an "objectionable" manner, which staff say amounted to "bullying and harassment".

Jude Shepherd, for the college, said that when asked to call the student by their new name, Lister had raised safeguarding concerns, asking if the student's parents were in support and if they had been given counselling and advice.

She said he did not seek assistance from the school about the student's pronouns but "simply didn't adhere with the student's request".

Shepherd said Lister wrote the student's female deadname on a whiteboard in front of the class and said they could enter an all-female maths competition.

She said he also told the student they should not be burdening the NHS during the pandemic, and that they would be a burden to their parents.

Lister also posted about his views on X, saying: "I am not going to call my #transgender students by their preferred name.

"To do so [is to] support them killing the person they were.

"To call them by their preferred name is like telling a potential #suicide victim to jump off a cliff."

Other posts argued "sexual orientation was a choice, like whether one might want to play golf", and that gay relationships were not "as valid" as heterosexual ones "by definition".

At the employment appeal tribunal in London on Tuesday, Anna Loufti, representing Lister, said the teacher had been required to "socially transition" the student.

Loufti argued Lister was being required to "encourage and condone" the student's transition, which he could not do because of his beliefs.

She added the school had not considered how the school's policy - which states students should be referred to by their chosen name and pronouns - put the rights of transgender people and those with gender critical views in opposition.

The hearing before Justice Mansfield is due to conclude on Wednesday.

Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.