A Christian who claimed that LGBT imagery caused him mental distress at work has lost a second employment tribunal.
Mark Jennings’ case began in 2024 when he was offered a job as a work coach in Canterbury. However, before starting work, Jennings requested that all LGBT symbols be removed from the workplace, including items like pronoun badges as well as rainbow flags.
His potential workplace agreed not to display Pride flags in Jennings’ part of the office, but refused to completely eliminate LGBT symbols from the workplace. In response Jennings initiated legal action, claiming he had been discriminated against on the basis of his religion and that the Department of Work and Pensions had not made proper accommodations for him.
Jennings claimed that as both a Roman Catholic and an evangelical, he believed gender ideology to be satanic, that trans ideology caused him “great anxiety”, and that LGBT symbols caused him “distress” due to a mental health condition.
Unusually, Jennings typically attends a Roman Catholic church as well as two evangelical churches for Sunday services.
As an alternative to removing LGBT symbols, Jennings suggested he be allowed to work from home. However, this was deemed unsuitable as the job required him to conduct in-person interviews with job seekers.
Judge Daniel Wright dismissed Jennings’ case, saying that had the employer acceded to Jennings’ demands it could have opened itself up to harassment claims from other employees.
Jennings has previously made similar arguments. He argued that NatWest displaying a rainbow set off his “phobia of Pride-related paraphernalia”. That case was also dismissed.
While Jennings’ case is thought to be unique, The Christian Institute has launched its own legal action against the Civil Service. The Institute has argued that by endorsing LGBT events the Civil Service has brought its neutrality into question and could be seen to be discriminating against Christians who believe in traditional sexual ethics.
