'Landmark victory' | Social worker wins discrimination case over online gender debate

A social worker who faced suspension over her expression of gender critical views on social media has successfully argued her case against her employer, and the profession’s regulatory body, for alleged discrimination.

In a recent tribunal ruling, it was decided that both Westminster City Council and Social Work England had discriminated against Rachel Meade based on her protected beliefs under the Equality Act of 2010.

The tribunal found that in 2020 Meade was given a year-long warning, after a Facebook friend of hers filed a complaint with her regulatory body about online content that Meade had shared or liked, including a petition that aligned with gender critical ideas.

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Social Work England said that Meade had engaged in discriminatory behaviour over a period of time that “could be perceived to be derogatory and potentially discriminatory to members of the transgender community”.