'We've allowed Equality Act to usurp safeguarding our children!' Teacher fired over refusing to use trans pronouns hits out after losing case

He said the tribunal’s ruling left him ‘devastated’ after a statement said that he had ‘harassed and discriminated’ a student.

But the 60-year-old told GB News he has no regrets for ‘putting safeguarding first’ and refusing to refer to the student as their preferred pronouns.

“I don’t regret this at all”, he said.

“I would do the same thing. What has happened is, we have allowed the Equality Act and any ideology to completely usurp our obligations to safeguarding and to ensure safe spaces for children.

“The whole thing has now become upside down.”

Speaking on how the complaint initially came about, Lister told Ben and Bev that him raising a safeguarding concern prompted the situation.

“I didn’t do it deliberately to make a point”, he said.

“I was writing girls names to go up in a girls maths competition.

“I had raised a safeguarding concern and I’d asked, did we have parental consent before we supported this social transition?

“The only response I got from safeguarding is the college policy is not to tell the parents.

“I didn’t want to go and support that social transition. The safeguarding asked three things, it asked was there parental consent? Was she making an informed decision? And was she at risk of self-medicating with cross-sex hormones which are easily available online now.”

Lister refused to refer to a 17-year-old biologically female by their preferred male name and he/him pronouns in A-level lessons.

He told an employment tribunal in Bristol on Tuesday that the teenager, known only as Student A, choosing to use male pronouns had the effect of ‘compelled speech’, meaning he and fellow students felt effectively forced into following their wish.