A political candidate for mayor who was fired by her employer when she expressed her Christian beliefs now is collecting a confidential payout that includes earnings loss, injury and discrimination.

It is Christian Concern that said Maureen Martin is collecting the ” substantial” payout in a case that is thought to be the first of its kind, in which a political candidate was fired by their employer over the Christian faith.

Martin was dismissed by L&Q, a housing association employer, in 2022 after people complained about her “hate speech.”

The speech, not “hate speech” at all, came in her expression of her Christian faith as part of her candidacy to be mayor of a London suburb.

She is an ordained minister and head of the Christian Peoples’ Alliance and had worked at L&Q for 13 years without trouble.

“Ahead of last year’s local elections, in her manifesto, Miss Martin had outlined her political position on fly tipping, knife crime and tax, and on marriage she had written: ‘Marriage: I pledge to cut through political correctness and simply state the truth that natural marriage between a man and a woman is the fundamental building block for a successful society, and the safest environment for raising children,’” the report said.

When her statement was revealed, she “was hounded on social media for her beliefs. Anonymous complaints were then made to her employer branding her beliefs as ‘hate speech,’ ‘’llegal’ and called for her to be disciplined and to take part in ‘anti-oppressive training,’” the Christian Concern reported.

She was fired, and responded with a legal claim that included discrimination, harassment, indirect discrimination and unfair dismissal by L&Q, which works to be favored by LGBT activists.

She said, ““I am pleased that L&Q has paid out such a substantial sum following the sacking. I know God brought me through this situation and I cannot emphasise more the importance of Christians taking a stand when being discriminated against.”

She warned, “It is disturbing how Christian beliefs on marriage, which have been held and expressed for thousands of years, are being silenced and treated with such hostility and disdain in this country.”

Andrea Williams, of the Christian Legal Centre, said, “We had never seen a case like this which sent a crushing message to anyone who believes in Christian marriage and wishes to express those beliefs at work or in public office.”

This article was originally published by the WND News Center.

This post originally appeared on WND News Center.