Felix Ngole, 47, applied to be a mental health support worker with Touchstone Leeds, based in Wakefield, West Yorkshire in 2022, and was offered the role. However, the offer was withdrawn after the charity’s management found reports on a case Mr Ngole won against Sheffield University in 2019.
He had challenged the university’s decision to prevent him from completing his social work degree after it became aware of a Facebook row in which he said homosexuality and same-sex marriage were sins.
An employment tribunal in Leeds ruled that Touchstone Leeds’ decision to rescind the job offer was justified, because of concerns about reputational damage and the mental health impact on service users who might discover his beliefs online.
On Wednesday, Mr Ngole appeared at the Employment Appeal Tribunal in London to challenge the ruling.
Speaking ahead of his appeal hearing, he said: “The ruling ultimately sets a dangerous precedent as it gives employers the freedom to block Christians, and anyone who doesn’t promote LGBTQI+ ideology, from employment.
“If we get to the point where if you don’t celebrate and support LGBT ideology you can’t have a job, then every Christian out there doesn’t have a future. You can study as much as you like, but you will not have a chance.
“The UK is no longer the country I heard about all those years ago when fleeing Cameroon. The UK then was a bastion of free speech and expression.”...<<<Read More>>>...