News from Europe

Christian school chaplain’s appeal delayed

Reverend Dr Bernard Randall was fired from his role at Trent College in Derbyshire after delivering sermons discussing identity politics and telling pupils they did not have to agree with LGBT teaching.

The Reverend told pupils that they were entitled to “look at some of the claims made about gender identity and think that it is incoherent to say that, for example, gender is quite independent of any biological factor”. He said: “You should no more be told you have to accept LGBT ideology, than you should be told you must be in favour of Brexit, or must be Muslim – to both of which I’m sure most of you would quite rightly object.”

Dr Randall stated he designed the sermon after Educate & Celebrate, a third-party sex education charity encouraged school staff to chant “smash heteronormativity”.

The school reinstated him on appeal, then he was furloughed during COVID. However, shortly after, Trent College made him redundant and referred him to the government’s terrorism-prevention scheme called Prevent. Even though Dr Randall lost his unfair dismissal case last year, he has recently been cleared by Prevent, the Teaching Regulation Authority and the Disclosure and Barring Service. His case was scheduled at the Court of Appeal for last week but the tribunal decided to wait until after the October hearing in the case of Kristie Higgs. 

School assistant Mrs. Higgs was fired after anonymous complaints of her personal social media posts raising concerns about mandatory Relationships and Sex Education lessons, and the spread of transgender ideology in schools. She won the right to appeal and her hearing is scheduled for the 2nd of October.

Dr Randall expressed his frustration over the long battle: “Just waiting to get my life back can feel like a form of torture in itself. But I also recognise the huge significance of Kristie’s case and my own and what is at stake, and I know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. My case concerns everybody. The gender identity and queer theory agenda sowing deep seeds of confusion in young children is now embedded in our schools. That agenda is anti-Christian and unashamedly aims to stamp out any Christian influence in our schools, and indeed any opposition, dissenting voice or even debate on their dangerous ideology.”
 
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, supporter of both Dr Randall and Mrs. Higgs stated: “Justice delayed is justice denied. It is now five-years since Bernard gave a sermon. Four years after this all started, despite the pressure and mischaracterisation of his position, Bernard is not for turning until justice is done. If this ruling is not overturned and Bernard does not receive justice, then any parent, child, teacher or chaplain who opposes the agenda of ‘smashing heteronormativity’ in our schools, is not safe from losing their jobs, or worse. We have to win it and will not give up until we have.”
 

 

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