O’Gorman v Belfast Film Festival Ltd [2026]
Decision Number: NIFET 83/23 Legal Body: Northern Ireland Fair Employment Tribunal
Published on: 12/08/2026
Issues Covered:
Article Authors The main content of this article was provided by the following authors.
Jason Elliott BL Barrister & Associate Head of School of Law, Ulster University
Jason Elliott BL Barrister & Associate Head of School of Law, Ulster University
Jason elliott new
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Jason Elliott was called to the Bar of Northern Ireland in 2013 and is the Associate Head of School of Law at Ulster University.  As a practising barrister, he has developed a largely civil practice representing individuals, companies and public bodies in litigation. This covers a wide range of areas including personal injuries, wills and employment law. In terms of employment law, he has represented both applicants and respondents in the Industrial Tribunal.   At Ulster University, Jason lectures extensively on the civil areas of practise such as Equity and Trusts and delivers employment law lectures for both undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Claimant:
Sara O’Gorman
Respondent:
Belfast Film Festival Ltd
Summary

Claimant’s claim of discrimination relating to political opinion was dismissed as the decisions relating to the claimant were made for reasons other than her political opinions.

Background

The claimant began working for the respondent in 2020 as an Inclusion/Audience Development Co-Ordinator.  She resigned in November 2024.  The claimant holds gender critical beliefs although it is noted that she preferred the term ‘sex realist’.  It should be noted that within the contract of employment it forbade the claimant from paid or unpaid activity which may conflict with the business interest of the employer or its members unless she had the express permission of management.

The claimant spoke at a ‘Let Women Speak’ event.  The claimant, as part of that

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Disclaimer The information in this article is provided as part of Legal Island's Employment Law Hub. We regret we are not able to respond to requests for specific legal or HR queries and recommend that professional advice is obtained before relying on information supplied anywhere within this article. This article is correct at 12/08/2026