UK Doc Fired for Not Calling Bearded Transsexual 'Madam' Will Appeal, Remain Faithful to Jesus Christ
David Mackereth, the UK doctor whose speech was labeled as "incompatible with human dignity" last week by an Employment Tribunal says he didn't want to call a biological male 'madam' because his desire was to remain faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ.
"At that moment, I knew that if I simply gave in, my fellowship with the Lord Jesus would be breached and that I would do something that was dishonoring to him," Mackereth explained. "He gave me the strength to take that stand."
The British government's Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) fired the 56-year-old Mackereth from his job as a disability assessor in late June 2018 because he refused to use politically correct speech when addressing a six-foot-tall bearded transsexual.
Appearing on this week's episode of The Global Lane, Mackereth said he will appeal his court case because he is determined to fight for his beliefs despite the price he may have to pay.
"We have to appeal, we have to go forward and I as a Christian am determined to go forward no matter what. I have to. I cannot, I cannot do what they're telling me that I have to do," he explained.
Mackereth said he believes by calling a biological male 'madam,' he is telling a lie and in good conscience he could not tell a lie because lying is a terrible sin. As a Christian, he feels he is compelled to speak the truth.
"I don't believe a person can change sex and I would challenge my profession--any doctor anywhere in the world, any philosopher, any researcher to prove that a person can change sex. It is impossible," he insisted.
Dr. Mackereth said he did not intend to upset or offend anyone, and although Jesus has commanded his followers to love one another, Mackereth says Christians cannot truly love people by supporting and promoting a lie.
"Christians are not the enemy of the people, but the ones who should be salt and light," he explained.
BELOW Dr. David Mackereth: 'We're being told to practice a lie'
And what if Mackereth loses his appeal? He and his legal team from the Christian Legal Center say there will be "seismic consequences" for the rights of UK employees to speak freely in the workplace.
The 26-year veteran doctor suggests he is fighting for more than just getting his job back; Mackereth says he is fighting for freedom of speech and Christian conscience for all of Britain.
"I remain entirely dependent on the grace of God. But we must fight this battle, we cannot walk away from it, we're all involved now."
About The Author
Mr. Lane served as International News Director and Senior International Correspondent for CBN News. He traveled to more than 120 countries—many of them restricted nations or areas hostile to Christianity and other minority faiths where he has interviewed persecution victims and provided video reports and analysis for CBN News. Also, he provided written stories and served as a consultant for the Voice of the Martyrs.
Gary joined The Christian Broadcasting Network in 1984 as the first full-time Middle East Correspondent for CBN News. Based in Jerusalem, Gary produced reports from Beirut on the Lebanese civil war. He was reassigned to Washington, D.C., at the start of President Reagan’s second term and served as National Security Correspondent from the U.S. State Department, Pentagon, Capitol Hill, and the White House.
Gary left CBN briefly in 1988 to work as Senior Press Secretary for Pat Robertson’s presidential campaign. Afterward, he returned to Washington and served as Washington Bureau Chief for CBN News from 1989-1992.
Gary transferred to CBN headquarters in Virginia Beach in 1996, where he began more extensive international traveling and reporting as a Senior Correspondent.
In addition to his extensive reporting on Christian persecution, Gary is also known for his reporting on the civil war in Sudan. He made 20 trips to the country since 1993 and also testified before Congress about the plight of Burmese refugees.
Gary produced numerous documentaries, including Americans Abandoned for the American Defense Institute, which afforded him the opportunity to become the first American journalist granted access to the Vietnamese Defense and Cultural Film archives. The investigative film about American POWs featured Vietnam War footage never seen before by Americans.
Gary also produced several persecution documentaries, including one about Christians in Egypt for Freedom House—Their Blood Cries Out—and another about attacks in Indonesia for The Voice of the Martyrs—Island Jihad. He also worked as a production consultant and videographer for the VOM video specials Underground Reality Vietnam and Underground Reality Colombia.
Over the years, Gary covered wars in Lebanon, Israel, Nicaragua, Angola, Burma, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Colombia, Libya, and Syria. He won several awards, including one from the National Gulf War Resource Center for his groundbreaking investigative reporting of Gulf War Illness, an affliction affecting veterans of Operation Desert Storm. The Australian Evangelical Press Association gave him an award for his reporting of a church massacre that occurred in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, shortly after 9-11.
Gary left CBN in 2000 to join the Voice of The Martyrs as their News Director, where he directed the mission’s multimedia efforts. Those included the website, monthly newsletter, video productions, publications, press releases, and media interviews.
Gary rejoined CBN in late 2003 as International News Director/Senior Correspondent. He served as executive producer of three weekly international news programs: Christian World News (CWN); Mundo Cristiano, a Spanish version of CWN produced in Costa Rica; and an Arabic language version of CWN, CWN Arabic, which was broadcast throughout North Africa and the Middle East. He also hosted and produced the weekly CBN News Channel program, The Global Lane.
Prior to CBN, Gary worked for various local television stations in Michigan, including one owned by Time Inc. and another by Knight-Ridder. Before that, he worked at local radio stations in Flint and Detroit.
Gary is a 1979 honors graduate of The University of Michigan, Flint, where he served as political editor of The University News, studied pre-law, and received an A.B. in political science and history.
