![\"BBC](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/1bf7\/live\/b356d7c0-c0d7-11f0-945a-35e14552e076.jpg.webp\")
BBC<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\nA board member of Belfast Film Festival (BFF) has told an employment tribunal they did not try to punish but investigate a former inclusion and audience development coordinator. <\/p>\n In her claim, Sara Morrison says she was forced out of her job after she joined a rally for Let Women Speak in 2023. The BFF launched an investigation into her attendance and she left work citing stress.<\/p>\n Mark Cousins said he liked Ms Morrison but that BFF had to be very careful and respectful in their process as they did not want to engage with “extremist contexts”.<\/p>\n “We did not try to punish, we tried to investigate. It’s not about guilt,” he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n “The problem I have personally is that staff members need to stay squeaky clean about being in extremist contexts,” he added. <\/p>\n “It’s not about guilt but getting dirty by association. We never said Sara was guilty of anything.”<\/p>\n It is Ms Morrison’s view that a person cannot change their biological sex.<\/p>\n She made comments at the rally about keeping men out of women’s spaces and criticised a number of local women’s organisations.<\/p>\n Her participation led to complaints by the LGBTQ community to the BFF, which later launched an investigation.<\/p>\n Ms Morrison went off work citing stress, before finally resigning.<\/p>\n She claims in her case, which has received funding from the author JK Rowling, that she was unlawfully discriminated against by the organisation over her beliefs on sex and gender.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The BFF rejects this, as well as her claim of constructive dismissal.<\/p>\n Mr Cousins told the tribunal that the board had to investigate the matter.<\/p>\n “Obviously we can’t control the thoughts of our staff but we can express love,” he said. <\/p>\n “BFF is a broad church and I don’t know the thoughts of a lot of our board members.”<\/p>\n Mr Cousins said he believed the event Ms Morrison attended was toxic.<\/p>\n “I thought the context was ill-advised. There is no problem with Sara having these views, it’s sharing them and making a speech in this toxic extreme context.<\/p>\n “The reason we wanted to investigate was in relation to Sara’s thought process speaking at the rally, given her job title as inclusion and audience development coordinator.”<\/p>\n The tribunal continues.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![](\"https:\/\/static.files.bbci.co.uk\/bbcdotcom\/web\/20251110-152207-94080fba49-web-2.33.2-3\/grey-placeholder.png\")
![\"Sara](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/d1ce\/live\/776eb610-c0a0-11f0-b2d5-133186eb0524.jpg.webp\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n‘Bff is broad church’<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n