Student takes university to court for the right to condemn gay marriage
A student has won the right to pursue his former university after saying gay people shouldn’t be allowed to marry.
Felix Ngole was axed from his social care course after posting in a Facebook argument that he doesn’t believe in same-sex marriage.
The 39-year-old, who reportedly believes it is a sin to be gay, was told his views would cause offence by Sheffield University and dropped from his course.
The university said it was concerned his publicly expressed views towards gay people could affect his work as a social worker.
Now a court has ruled that the decision to drop him from the course was disproportionate.
Mr Ngole has now been granted the right to fight the case at the High Court.
He said: “The university claims my views are discriminatory but I am the one being discriminated against because of my expression of Christian beliefs.”
His barrister Paul Diamond argued: “The expression that homosexuality is a ‘sin’, or even use of the strong Biblical term of ‘abomination’, is a lawful religious expression.”
“It is the duty of the court to robustly protect British freedoms.”
The landmark court case could set a precedent on whether views, such as Mr Ngole’s, are reason to bar a person from work or study.
Barrister Sarah Hannett, defending the university’s decision, said that Mr Ngole “posted comments on a publicly accessible Facebook page that were derogatory of lesbians, gay men and bisexuals.”
She added: “The views expressed are likely to undermine the trust and confidence that lesbian, gay and bisexual clients are entitled to have in his professional role as a social worker (and in the social work profession more widely).”
It comes as Tim Farron, a dedicated Christian, revealed he did not believe gay sex is a sin.
The Christian Legal Centre – who come to the aid of people accused of homophobia and discrimination – said: “The university’s treatment of Felix fundamentally violates its responsibilities under human rights legislation.
“The university has failed to protect his freedom of speech … and his freedom of religion.
“Felix is entitled to express his views, especially ones shared by millions of people around the world.”
The out lesbian Christian singer says she has been forced to take a break from social media after reading messages saying she should be killed, and that she can’t be gay and a Christian.
The star, who came out back in 2014, took to her Twitter account to say she was forced to take a break after reading comments about herself from those who say they are Christian.
She tweeted that she had read comments about herself on a meme featuring her photo which reads: “You may be gay or You may be a Christian. But you cannot be a Gay Christian!”
In another case, a lesbian bishop was told she could be expelled from her job by the United Methodist Church because of her relationship with another woman.