Maya Forstater: Woman gets payout for discrimination over trans tweets

Maya Forstater found herself out of a job after tweeting "gender-critical" views

A woman who lost out on a job after tweeting gender-critical views is to get a £100,000 payout after a decision from an employment tribunal.

Tax expert Maya Forstater did not have her contract renewed in March 2019 after writing tweets saying people could not change their biological sex.

She was found to have experienced discrimination while working for the Centre for Global Development (CGD).

The think tank said it would continue to try to build an inclusive workplace.

In their decision on Friday, three London judges said Ms Forstater should receive compensation of £91,500 and interest of £14,904.31.

The sum is to reflect lost earnings, injury to feelings and aggravated damages after the CGD's decision not to renew her contract or fellowship.

• What does transgender mean and what does the law say?

Ms Forstater, the founder of campaign group Sex Matters, believes biological sex is immutable and not to be conflated with gender identity.

She told The Times on Friday that the ruling "sends a message to employers that this is discrimination like any other discrimination".

Ms Forstater was congratulated in a tweet by Harry Potter author JK Rowling, who has courted controversy with her own statements on trans issues.

The contentious and high-profile case even proved divisive in the courts.

Ms Forstater lost her original case in 2019, when she was told by a tribunal judge that her approach was "not worthy of respect in a democratic society".

But she appealed, and won the backing two years later of a High Court judge - who said her views were protected by the Equality Act 2010.

A fresh tribunal was ordered, and ruled last year that Ms Forstater experienced "direct discrimination" related to her beliefs.

Commenting on the July 2022 ruling, charity Stonewall said the decision did not "change the reality of trans people's workplace protection".

It added: "No-one has the right to discriminate against, or harass, trans people simply because they disagree with their existence and participation in society."

Responding to Friday's tribunal decision, a CGD representative said the organisation "has and will continue to strive to maintain a workplace that is welcoming, safe and inclusive to all" and would now be able "once again to focus exclusively on our mission - reducing global poverty and inequality through economic research that drives better policy and practice".