A Christian actress is today resuming her
legal challenge against her firing over a
Facebook post in which she shared the
biblical perspective of same-sex
relationships.
Seyi Omooba lost the lead role as Celie in
Leicester Curve and Birmingham
Hippodrome’s 2019 co-production of the
award-winning musical The Color
Purple over a 2014 Facebook post in which
she said she did not believe people could
be “born gay”.
“I do not believe homosexual practice is
right,” she wrote.
The Leicester Curve dropped her from the
role on the grounds that the post was
“deeply offensive to the LGBTQ
community”.
Miss Omooba commenced legal
proceedings against the theatre and her
agents over her firing, and secured the
support of Lloyd Evans, theatre critic for
the Spectator , who said in a witness statement:
“It is not of any importance for an actor to
agree with the ethical views or the feelings
of a character in a play. Were that
necessary, the art of drama would not
exist, and many of the plays we regard as
classics would be impossible to stage.”
But his and another witness statement by
theologian Dr Martin Parsons calling her
Facebook post a “fair and reasonable
expression of Christian beliefs” were
deemed inadmissable as evidence in
previous hearings.
Miss Omooba is challenging that decision
at Employment Appeal Tribunal today.
She said: “The theatre gave me the choice
to either retract a statement regarding my
faith or lose my job. I could not do this, not
even to save the career that I love. The
agency made a decision to terminate my
contract based on false information.
“As I continue to seek justice I call on the
courts to allow this expert evidence to be
heard.”
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the
Christian Legal Centre, which is supporting
Miss Omooba said: ” This story sends a
chilling message to Christians, not only in
the theatre profession but across our
society, that if you express and hold
mainstream Biblical views, you will be
punished and will lose your career if you
do not immediately renounce your beliefs.
“We are deeply concerned that the
evidence for such an important case,
which has attracted global attention and
concern, is being blocked by the courts.”
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