An ordained minister in the United Kingdom is suing her longtime employer for firing her over her views on biblical marriage, which she touted during her run for mayor earlier this year.
In the spring, Maureen Martin, an ordained minister and president of the Christian People’s Alliance (CPA), a U.K. political party founded on biblical values, ran for mayor in Lewisham, a borough near London. At the time, she posted a campaign leaflet on social media that stressed her biblical beliefs on 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,” a statement on her six-point plan read.
As reported by My London News, the leaflet sparked a backlash from gay-rights advocates and led Damien Egan, the Labour mayor of Lewisham, to denounce the CPA’s policies as “discriminatory.”
Soon after that, Maureen’s employer, LONDON & Quadrant Housing Trust (L&Q), for whom she had worked for the past 13 years, called her into an “investigation meeting” where HR officials shared that three complaints had been made against her. They also expressed concerns over Maureen’s posts on transgender athletes and the rainbow pride flag.
According to ChurchLeaders.com, L&Q fired Maureen for gross conduct following a brief suspension. The company claimed that she expressed her beliefs in “an inappropriate manner,” brought the company into “disrepute,” violated its social media policy, and failed to inform them of her political candidacy.
Martin, who is being represented by the Christian Legal Centre, argued that her former employee had violated her rights to free speech.
“I have a right to express my own Christian beliefs in my own private time and should not be required to self-censor valid beliefs on marriage, abortion, and U.S. politics,” the minister said.
The CPA noted that the “offense is part of a functioning society” in the U.K., which “once stood on the pedestal of freedom of speech.”
“However, this unparalleled action seems to be a way for the LGBT Cartel to dictate our thoughts and feelings,” the political party said. “We simply can’t have a nation that prosecutes citizens for speaking out against immoral behavior or for having a different opinion.”
Martin also questioned whether her termination had to do with L&Q’s attempt to win favor with the LGBTQ+ advocacy group, Stonewall.
“L&Q [is] a woke organization,” Martin asserted. “The endorsement from Stonewall was important to L&Q.”
A Stonewall representative, however, pushed back on her claim, saying, “Entrants are assessed on a set of standardized criteria that measures whether their workplace is a welcoming environment for their LGBT+ employees, and nothing more.”
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Marc Bruxelle/EyeEm
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
