Christian Teacher Says She Was Fired for Using Student's Wrong Pronouns

A former Christian primary school teacher is taking legal action after being fired for not adhering to the preferred pronouns of an 8-year-old student.

The incident involving the female teacher, who goes by the alias of "Hannah" to protect her identity and that of the student, was reportedly fired two years ago by the Nottinghamshire County Council in England.

Transgender debates are ongoing globally. In January, the U.K. government blocked a bill allowing trans individuals in Scotland to change their legal gender without a medical diagnosis. In the United States, a partnership between Bud Light and transgender advocate Dylan Mulvaney led to backlash primarily from conservative-based groups and individuals.

Hannah claimed that her former employer allegedly helped facilitate the transition of a girl to a boy yet ignored repeated concerns about the student's welfare. She was also allegedly told that her "personal beliefs," if acted on, "could be a direct breach of GDPR [Gender Data Protection Regulation] and an act of direct discrimination," according to The Telegraph and Great Britain News.

On April 27, Hannah wrote a letter to British Education Secretary Gillian Keegan detailing her side of the events. She now works in a sandwich shop and her former school has reported her to the Teacher Regulation Authority for an alleged confidentiality breach, which could bar her permanently from the teaching profession.

Her former school has also reportedly referred her for criminal offenses under the Digital Protection Act, as well as reported to the Disclosure and Barring Service "in another attempt to bar me from teaching."

Hannah claims that the school instructed all staff to always refer to the female student with male pronouns and a male name, including that she was permitted to use the boys restrooms and dressing rooms.

The teacher also reportedly followed the school's whistleblowing procedure to raise concerns, leading to the school informing her that the student would be moved to a different class "to safeguard him from any potential harm."

"I was very concerned for the welfare of the child concerned," Hannah wrote to Keegan, saying she followed proper whistleblower protocol. "In doing this I argued that this approach was not based on medical evidence and was not in compliance with safeguarding procedures and was putting the child's long-term health and welfare at risk."

She alluded to various medical experts, including scientists and doctors, who have highlighted the dangers of encouraging gender transition in young children.

According to 2021 Census data, 262,000 citizens of England and Wales age 16 and older—about 0.5 percent of the total population—identified as transgender. A total of 45.4 million people responded "yes" to the question: "Is the gender you identify with the same as your sex registered at birth?"

About 118,000 people said they were transgender but did not specify whether they identified as a trans woman or trans man. About 43.4 million people, or 89.4 percent, identified as straight or heterosexual, while about 1.5 million people said they were part of the LGBTQ community. About 3 million respondents declined to answer.

Conservative British think tank Policy Exchange published a report in March finding "that schools are increasingly becoming influenced by gender ideology, to the extent that fundamental safeguarding principles are being compromised by school's approaches to children with gender distress and their peers."

The notion of being "asleep at the wheel," as the report says, is evident by schools failing to routinely inform parents when a child discloses gender distress, and that many are teaching gender identity beliefs as facts.

"Gender affirmative care is prevalent within the school system, despite this being at odds with safeguarding principles that have been enshrined in law for decades," the report added.

Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre—which is backing Hannah's case—said the Policy Exchange report supports her claims.

"Society has lost its moral compass," Williams said in a statement. "How did we ever decide that it would be helpful for children to be taught that they might be born in the wrong body? How is it helpful for distressed children to encourage them down a path of 'changing gender' with all the associated medical intervention?

"Clearly, schools and teachers are terrified of being accused of being 'transphobic' and even reported to regulators as a safeguarding risk, a danger to children or even as a criminal."

Hannah's claim in front of the employment tribunal is expected to be heard in August 2024.

Newsweek reached out to the Christian Legal Centre and Nottinghamshire County Council via email for comment.