Employment Tribunal Originally Sided with CGD
LONDON – The UK Employment Appeal Tribunal begins a hearing today in a case involving CGD Europe (CGDE), the Center for Global Development (CGD), and CGD President Masood Ahmed, brought by Maya Forstater, who was previously affiliated with the organizations.
CGD and CGDE maintain that Ms. Forstater does not have the necessary employment status to pursue these claims as she was an unpaid visiting fellow and occasional paid consultant. The organizations also challenged whether Ms. Forstater’s beliefs regarding sex and gender identity are protected under the UK Equality Act 2010, as she has argued.
In December 2019, Judge James Tayler ruled in CGD and CGDE’s favor that Ms. Forstater’s beliefs are not protected under the Equality Act. Forstater has since appealed that ruling.
Amanda Glassman, Chief Executive Officer of CGDE and Executive Vice President of CGD, released the following statement:
“Our view is that Judge Tayler was correct when he ruled that the claimant’s beliefs denied trans persons their legal rights while also causing them personal pain. We are hopeful that the Employment Appeal Tribunal will uphold the original ruling and look forward to moving onto the next case.”
CGD has previously released statements on 15th November and 18th December 2019 concerning the first hearing and ruling. No hearings to date have yet dealt with issues surrounding Forstater’s employment status.
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