A mother who was branded a "neo-Nazi extremist" and sacked from her school job for expressing concerns about LGBT relationships has won her legal battle at the Court of Appeal.
Kristie Higgs was dismissed from Farmor's School in Fairford after making two private social media posts about transgender books being introduced at her son's primary school.
Three senior judges ruled her dismissal was "unquestionably a disproportionate response".
The Court of Appeal, led by Lord Justice Underhill, found there was "no evidence that the reputation of the school had thus far been damaged" by Higgs's posts.
The Court of Appeal found there was 'no evidence that the reputation of the school had thus far been damaged' by Higgs's (centre) posts
PA
Judges noted there was "no possibility" that readers would believe her social media comments represented the school's views, even if they connected her to the institution.
The ruling came after years of legal battles following her dismissal just before the Christmas break.
Prior to said dismissal, Higgs had worked for seven years at Farmor's School as a pastoral administrator, a job she deeply enjoyed.
"I really enjoyed seeing the children grow from being young to strapping people," the mother-of-two told The Times.
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Higgs had worked for seven years at Farmor's School as a pastoral administrator
Her concerns arose when her eight-year-old son's Church of England primary school announced plans to introduce books from No Outsiders, a diversity charity, during lessons.
After reviewing the books at the school, Higgs expressed particular concern about "My Princess Boy," a picture book about a boy who wears tiaras and dresses.
She also noted "Red, A Crayon's Story," which she described as depicting a crayon that "suffers an identity crisis."
Higgs requested her son be exempted from the lessons featuring these materials, which the school agreed to, though she remained concerned about plans to make them compulsory.
After sharing her concerns on Facebook under her maiden name, Higgs faced a gruelling six-and-a-half-hour disciplinary hearing at a hotel.
After her Court of Appeal victory, Higgs declared: 'I pray that today will prove to be a landmark day for Christian freedoms and free speech'
PAShe was forced to face a panel of six people alone, including a school governor who was a lawyer, after being denied permission to bring her father for support.
During the hearing, the chairman shocked Higgs by comparing her social media post to "being a neo-Nazi extremist".
"I was in shock. I could see that they were against me," Higgs recalled.
Following her failed appeal at the school, Higgs was referred to the Christian Legal Centre, which supported her case from 2018.
Speaking outside the Royal Courts of Justice after her victory, Higgs declared: "I pray that today will prove to be a landmark day for Christian freedoms and free speech."
She added that employers could no longer discipline staff based on "theoretical fears of reputational damage or subjective concerns about causing offence".
Her lawyers are now seeking compensation.
