Kristie Higgs, a former pastoral administrator at Farmor's School in Fairford, Gloucestershire, was dismissed in 2019 after sharing Facebook posts that criticized LGBT+ relationship education in primary schools.

Her dismissal followed an anonymous complaint about her posts, which the school deemed homophobic and transphobic, leading to a disciplinary hearing that resulted in her being fired for gross misconduct.

Initially, an employment tribunal upheld her dismissal in 2020, acknowledging her religious beliefs as a protected characteristic but still siding with the school.

However, this decision was overturned by an Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) in 2023, which ordered a fresh decision on the case.

On February 12, 2025, the Court of Appeal ruled that the EAT's instruction to return the case to another tribunal was 'unlawfully discriminatory'.

The ruling established that employers cannot discipline employees for expressing their religious beliefs outside of work, even if those beliefs may offend others.

The Court of Appeal judges noted that Higgs' beliefs regarding gender and marriage are protected under the Equality Act, stating her dismissal was unjustified based on her online expressions.

The school argued that Higgs's posts could damage its reputation due to their 'intemperate' language, but the judges disagreed, determining that her expressions of beliefs did not occur at work and were not discriminatory towards pupils.

Sean Jones KC, representing the school, maintained that Higgs was dismissed not for her beliefs but for the manner of their expression, which was perceived as potentially homophobic or transphobic.

Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, hailed the judgment as a significant victory for free speech and religious liberty, emphasizing its legal significance for future cases.

Higgs's legal representation had challenged the EAT's remittance, arguing it was unnecessary, which contributed to the Court of Appeal's judgment.

Higgs expressed that equating same-sex marriage with traditional marriage represented a form of 'totalitarianism', and she criticized the notion that gender is a matter of choice.