Belief rights | Council told to retrain staff on freedom of speech after 'gender-fluid dog' row

A council has been ordered to retrain its staff on freedom of belief and speech after an employment tribunal ruled in favour of a social worker who was discriminated against following comments made about a colleague’s 'gender-neutral' dog.

Cambridgeshire County Council was instructed by the tribunal to revise its mandatory e-learning programme to include a section on freedom of belief and speech in the workplace.

The case stems from a Zoom meeting of the council’s LGBTQIA+ Group, during which Elizabeth Pitt, a social worker employed at the local authority, expressed what were described as ‘gender critical’ views. The meeting had begun with a male colleague sharing that his dachshund was 'gender-fluid' and wore a dress, to provoke discussion about gender. Pitt, along with a colleague, challenged this perspective, with Pitt raising concerns about trans women participating in women's sports and the use of shared women's spaces.

Several participants in the meeting found these comments offensive, and complaints were subsequently raised about Pitt's tone and the nature of her views. A written management instruction was issued to her, expressing concerns that her behaviour had been "non-inclusive and perceived as transphobic." Pitt was also prohibited from contacting any members of the LGBTQIA+ Group or attending future events. This instruction, according to the tribunal, marked the informal stage of a disciplinary process.