Masters student kicked off course for anti-gay marriage Facebook post

A second year Masters student has been expelled from his Social Work course after voicing his opinions against gay marriage on Facebook. 

Felix Ngole, 38, shared a Facebook post which said “I stand with Kim Davis”, the American clerk who was jailed after she refused to marry same sex couples. In September 2015, he also commented on a link quoting a Leviticus Bible verse, declaring homosexuality was an “abomination”.

Two months later he received an email from uni which requested he attended a meeting to discuss the social media posts. He was then referred to a fitness to practice committee, who decided the father of four should be taken off the course.

In a letter detailing the decision, Ngole was told his actions “transgressed boundaries which are not deemed appropriate for someone entering the social work profession” and was ordered to hand his U-Card in.

He was asked to hand his U-Card in

The committee specified that the decision was not a direct result of his views, but his decision to air them publicly.

Ngole said: “My beliefs about marriage and sexual ethics reflect mainstream, biblical understanding, shared by millions around the world.

“Simply expressing that understanding, in a personal capacity, on my Facebook page, cannot be allowed to become a bar to serving and helping others in a professional capacity as a social worker.

“I wonder whether the university would have taken any action if a Muslim student who believes in Sharia law, with its teaching about women and homosexuality, had made moderate comments on his Facebook page. I don’t think so.”

He is now appealing the decision, and believes he has suffered discrimination for his religious views, claiming it is effectively a “bar to office for Christians”.

A spokesperson from the University of Sheffield, said: “The University of Sheffield is concerned that stories in the media about a student undertaking a MA in Social Work are factually incorrect. The individual concerned is currently appealing the decision of a Fitness to Practise Committee, relating to professional registration and the standards of the relevant professional body. These standards are nationally determined by the Health and Care Professions Council. As the case is subject to appeal, the University of Sheffield will not comment on this case at this time.”