UK Tribunal Rules Calling A Man Bald is Sexual Harassment
The tribunal, whose members alluded to their own experience with hair loss, also compared calling a man bald to commenting on the size of a woman’s breasts.
Calling a man bald is considered sexual harassment, a British employment tribunal ruled last Wednesday. Three members of the tribunal, which is a judicial body that hears workplace disputes, said that since baldness was more prevalent in men than women, using the word “bald” as an insult therefore related to a “protected characteristic of sex,” according to CNBC.
The tribunal, whose members alluded to their own experiences with hair loss, also compared calling a man bald to commenting on the size of a woman’s breasts.
The ruling was on behalf of a complaint filed by Tony Finn, who worked as an electrician for the British Bung Manufacturing Company.
Mr Finn worked at the company, which manufactures wooden cask closures for the brewing industry, in Yorkshire for nearly 24 years before being fired last year.
Mr Finn alleged that during a workplace argument in July 2019, his shift supervisor, Jamie King, referred to him as a “bald c**t,” according to The Guardian.
The panel noted that Mr Finn had not complained about the use of a four-letter word, but was offended by being called bald.
“We have little doubt that being referred to in this pejorative manner was unwanted conduct as far as [Finn] was concerned,” the tribunal found.