A Christian man who sued the UK government after claiming he had a phobia of Pride flags has lost his religious discrimination case.
Mark Jennings accepted a role as a work coach with the Department for Work and Pensions in June 2024, but reportedly began making a series of demands after receiving the job offer by phone.
Those requests included not being exposed to Pride imagery in the workplace and not hearing colleagues “using different pronouns” while at work. After the DWP refused to meet those conditions, Jennings turned down the role and later brought legal action.
Jennings, who is Roman Catholic and an evangelical Christian, argued that his faith meant “gender ideology and the promotion of ‘trans ideology’ caused him great anxiety”. He also said that “homosexuality and transgenderism is a sin contrary to the laws of God”.
According to the Daily Mail, Jennings wanted colleagues to be asked to remove Pride symbols, or for him to be allowed to work from home during Pride Month.
The DWP rejected the requests, saying it could not accommodate them because employees had the right to show support for Pride.
Employment Judge Daniel Wright dismissed Jennings’ claims of indirect religious discrimination and failure to make reasonable adjustments.
Wright said limiting staff members’ Pride displays “would leave the [DWP] open to claims of direct or indirect sexual orientation discrimination, harassment and direct or indirect belief discrimination”.
The tribunal also heard that Jennings has brought similar cases against other organisations, including Stagecoach and NatWest.
The ruling reinforces that while religious beliefs are protected, employers are not required to remove LGBTQ+ visibility from the workplace in order to accommodate those beliefs.
