Christian magistrate who was fired from NHS job for speaking out against gay adoption loses discrimination case

A Christian magistrate, who was fired from his position as a director of England's National Health Service (NHS) after he spoke out against gay adoption, has lost his legal battle to regain his job.

Richard Page, 71, was suspended by the NHS Trust Development Authority in March 2016 after he expressed his view on television that it was better for a child to be brought up by both a man and a woman.

In August this year, he sued the NHS Trust Development Authority for discrimination, harassment and victimization for his Christian beliefs under the Equality Act 2010.

However, the three-person panel at the Croydon Employment Tribunal rejected his bid to be reinstated as the NHS director, saying he was dismissed not for his views, but for appearing in the media without informing the trust.

Andrea Williams, head of the Christian Legal Centre, which is supporting Page, denounced the ruling in a statement on Saturday.

"It seems that the NHS bosses and liberal judges cannot tolerate the expression of Christian views on morality - particularly on sexual morality. He was not targeted for the expression of beliefs, but rather for the expression of certain beliefs - namely, belief in the traditional family," Williams said, according to Daily Mail.

Page gained national attention when the media picked up the comments he made in a closed-door meeting while serving as a magistrate during an adoption case.

Last year, he went on a national media campaign in an effort to defend his views. During his appearance on ITV's "This Morning," presenter Piers Morgan accused him of being a homophobe after he said that he was opposed to gay marriage.

He was then fired from the bench for serious misconduct by then Justice Secretary Michael Gove and Lord Thomas, who said that his comments suggested that he was "biased and prejudiced against single sex adopters."

A few days later, the NHS Trust Development Authority suspended him from his role as a non-executive director at Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust, saying he had undermined the confidence of his staff, particularly LGBT employees.

In his bid to regain his job, he claimed that he was being "ousted from public service" for being a Christian and argued that he had worked with "numerous homosexuals" during his time in the NHS.

Page, who had spent nearly 20 years working as a finance director in the NHS, has expressed his intention to take the case to an Employment Appeal Tribunal.

"I am very disappointed by this outcome but I am determined to appeal," he said. "This case is much bigger than me now; it is about how ordinary folk, just like me, are becoming increasingly fearful to speak out against the homosexual agenda," he added.