A government scientist and father-of-four who resigned from Porton Down after expressing gender-critical views has won his employment tribunal case.
Gender critical views - the belief that sex is biological and immutable, that people cannot change their sex and sex is distinct from gender-identity - is a philosophical belief and protected under equality laws.
Peter Wilkins, a Christian, had worked at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) for nearly 15 years before leaving in February 2023. He had raised concerns over internal blogs and comments which included abusive descriptions of employees holding gender-critical beliefs.
However, he received no adequate responses to his complaints; and in some cases no response at all. He was also referred as a security risk after ‘liking’ a LinkedIn post by the organisation Sex Matters relating to gender critical beliefs.
On one occasion Paul Kealey, head of the DSTL’s employee support network for sexual orientation and gender identity, told Wilkins: “If a personal non-expressed view may be contradictory to the rights LGBT+ people have - that is OK, but it is not OK to express such views in the workplace.”
The employment tribunal found there had been “an unblinking desire to ensure that those with gender identity views were fully supported and a failure to engage with the thought that a gender critical view was worthy and was required to be respected”.
It also found there was “clear hostile animus” towards gender-critical beliefs. Dr Kealey, particularly, “was embedded in supporting the LGBT+ group and… lost sight of his obligation to be impartial in line with the Civil Service Code”. His failures suggested only one side of the debate was entitled to be aired.
Peter was represented by the Free Speech Union (FSU). Following the decision, its chief lawyer said this was a “landmark win for workplace free speech - and a serious wake-up call for the nominally impartial Civil Service”.
It is expected that DSTL will be required to pay Wilkins significant damages at a future date.
