a day ago
Campaigners launch legal action to ban civil servants from Pride events and wearing rainbow lanyards
A campaign group has launched legal action seeking to ban civil servants from wearing rainbow lanyards, endorsing Pride events and using preferred pronouns in public-facing email signatures.
The Christian Institute has claimed that civil service 'endorsement' of LGBT Pride 'breaches rules on impartiality' and is 'clearly political'.
In a letter sent to the government before launching its action, the charity said it is seeking judicial review of staff participation in Pride events.
Deputy director of The Christian Institute, Simon Calvert, said it was 'inappropriate for civil servants to be officially endorsing Pride'.
He added that he had been 'shocked' by civil servants wearing rainbow lanyards in meetings, which he feels 'gives the impression that their minds are closed' on alternative views.
He said: 'It certainly does not communicate the kind of neutrality that taxpayers expect of civil servants.'
The Civil Service Code states that all employees are expected to carry out their roles with 'integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality'.
A government spokesperson told the BBC: "The civil service is committed to an inclusive environment for all staff, boosting productivity and opening up opportunities across the country."
The charity's action comes after a High Court judgement effectively banned uniformed police from taking part in Pride parades.
The judgment, handed down last month, ruled that officers were wrong to have taken part in Newcastle's Pride parade last year.
The case was brought by Linzi Smith, who describes herself in court documents as a 'lesbian who is 'gender critical',' who 'believes that a person's sex is an immutable characteristic'.
She argued that police breached their impartiality obligations by taking part in the event and appearing under a banner supporting transgender people's rights.
The judge, Mr Justice Linden, agreed with her and ruled that the Chief Constable of Northumbria Police, Vanessa Jardine, acted unlawfully when she allowed uniformed officers to take part in the event last year.
Reaching his decision, the judge said the chief constable's participation was likely to be seen as 'expressing the support of the head of the force for the views and the cause which the march sought to promote' and 'therefore as indicating the position or perspective of the force as an organisation'.
