Maya Forstater has spoken publicly for the first time about the impact her defence of biological sex has had on her life and family.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, the wife and mum revealed how tweeting that biology determines whether people are male or female led to the loss of her job, exposed her to abuse, and caused great distress to her husband and two sons.
In 2019, an employment tribunal ruled that Forstater had not been unfairly treated by her employer, as ‘gender critical’ beliefs are not protected by equality law. Her appeal hearing is set to conclude today.
‘Cancelled’
Forstater explained that until three years ago she considered herself to be an ordinary working mother and wife.
But following a social media post in which she expressed her belief that “it is impossible to change sex or lose your sex”, Forstater found her herself portrayed as a ‘transphobe’.
a slap in the face
Her husband and sons suffered as a result of the controversy. The mother-of-two said: “To see your mum or your wife be cancelled and to see videos on YouTube which have had millions of hits portraying me as an awful, terrible person because of my views has been really hard on them.”
She described her employer’s decision not to renew her contract because of her beliefs as “a slap in the face” and said she felt stunned and broken on hearing that she had lost the employment tribunal.
Appeal
Forstater hopes the court will recognise her views as a philosophical belief under the Equality Act 2010.
Ultimately, what it comes down to is an attack on my right to free speech
She said: “It’s only the most egregious, violent, dangerous beliefs that are not protected, such as saying you are a Nazi or you are wanting to overthrow government by violent revolution or that you are a Holocaust denier.
“Ultimately, what it comes down to is an attack on my right to free speech. Can you really compare what I believe in – that sex is a biological reality – to the truly evil beliefs of the Nazis?”
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