Gender-critical student kicked off master's course receives compensation and apology

The Metanoia Institute expelled Esses for raising concerns about transgender issues and the treatment of children.

The London-based higher education school made its decision in 2021.

It came after Esses launched a petition against the Government’s proposal to ban conversion therapy.

He claimed the Government should not “criminalise essential, explorative therapy” for children with gender dysphoria under the legislation.

Esses expressed similar concerns about the impact on therapy of what he has called “gender ideology” to the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP).

The 32-year-old had applied for trainee membership of the UKCP in 2020.

He claimed the umbrella body requested the Ealing establishment removed him from his five-year course in his third-year of training.

Esses then received a short email from the institute’s deputy chief executive in May 2021 with the subject line “Termination of Contract”.

He said the email claimed he was being expelled with immediate effect, without a hearing, because he had brought the institution “into disrepute”.

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The Metanoia Institute posted his explusion on social media later that day.

Three weeks later he was informed that because he was no longer a student, his trainee membership of the council was also terminated.

The former criminal barrister sued the bodies at an employment tribunal after investing thousands of pounds into his studies.

He claimed that he was being discriminated against, harassed and victimised because of his beliefs.

The institute apologised to Esses for its treatment of him in a statement, accepted that it breached its own policies by expelling him without due process and contributed to him receiving online abuse.

It said: “Notwithstanding the fact that high-quality therapy is rooted in empathy, active listening and unconditional positive regard, we did not fulfil these values in our treatment of Mr Esses. For this we apologise fully.”

However, Esses claimed: “People don’t realise how important free speech is, particularly in an academic context, until the ‘mob’ comes for them.

“What we’re increasingly seeing in British society is that people who hold views or opinions which are not the establishment view or are considered by some to be bigoted or immoral without any basis whatsoever are losing their jobs and their livelihoods. People are being kicked off university courses, and that’s why free speech and upholding it should be everyone’s business.”

He added: “I simply spoke out about that from a therapeutic perspective and it essentially cost me my entire career.

“It’s very important to send a message to educational institutions that if they mistreat their students and if they try to shut them down because of their own personally held beliefs or opinions that they will face the repercussions of that.”

The settlement with the institute, the details of which cannot be disclosed, follows a similar settlement reached with the UKCP as part of the legal action.