A teacher sacked for refusing to use a pupil's preferred pronouns has been told he does not have to believe in gender ideology in order to "respect" others.

Kevin Lister was dismissed by New College Swindon in September 2022 for gross misconduct and is now appealing against the decision at a tribunal in London.

Lister's representative Anna Loufti argued the college's gender reassignment policy "created a culture in which everyone was supposed to be positive about gender transition".

But Jude Shepherd, representing the college, said the school's policy did not seek to modify teachers' philosophical beliefs, but change their behaviour and speech.

The maths teacher was asked to refer to a biologically female student by their preferred male name and he/him pronouns during A-level lessons but refused to do so.

A Bristol tribunal concluded in 2024 that he was dismissed for expressing his beliefs in an "objectionable" manner, which staff say amounted to "bullying and harassment".

Anna Loufti, representing Lister, said earlier he was not willing to oblige as he had previously raised a safeguarding concern about the teenager's wish to transition.

"Being asked to transition a child flies in the face of a gender critical person's concern about doing so," she said.

"The policy cannot be regarded as having no coercive element whatsoever when the reality is my client was fired for not having complied with it."

Loufti argued the college's gender reassignment policy "created a culture in which everyone was supposed to be positive about gender transition".

Lister argued that it "had the effect of intimidating gender critical staff into public silence", and that any staff member who wanted to raise a safeguarding concern about a transitioning student "can only do so under risk of persecution".

But Shepherd said the school's the policy did not "encourage" students to transition.

"You don't have to believe that a man can become biologically a woman in order to treat with respect those who identify in a different gender," she argued.

Shephard said Lister had not made the argument at the initial tribunal that the college had sought to change his beliefs.

He instead made his case that he was compelled to speak in a certain way and the tribunal decided he was not discriminated against, she added.

After hearing arguments at the employment appeal tribunal on Tuesday and Wednesday, Justice Mansfield said his judgment will be given in writing on a date yet to be set.

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