Calling men ‘bald’ is a form of sexual harassment, as is mentioning women’s breasts; British court

It is now considered sexual harassment to refer to a guy as ‘bald’. A British employment tribunal made this decision. The choice is motivated by the fact that males shed more hair than women. Commenting on a man’s baldness, according to the tribunal, is equivalent to remarking on the size of a woman’s breast. This is due to the possibility that it is ‘inherently tied to sex’, which amounts to discrimination.

According to the Telegraph, the tribunal issued this decision in a dispute between electrician Tony Finn and his manufacturing firm’s bosses. Finn had worked for the West Yorkshire-based British Bung Company for nearly 24 years until being sacked in May of last year. After being fired, the 64-year-old filed a complaint with the tribunal, claiming that he was wrongfully terminated and was a victim of sexual harassment.

During an encounter with plant supervisor Jamie King in 2019, he claimed that King crossed a line by calling him a “bald c***.” Finn informed his employer about the incident, but instead of taking action against King, the company dismissed him, alleging intimidation. Based on this argument, a panel comprised of Judge Jonathan Brain, David Dorman-Smith, and Keith Lannaman deliberated on whether remarking on his baldness was simply rude or actually harassing.

According to the Guardian, the panel stated that ‘this is strong language.  Although, as we discovered, industrial language was frequent on this West Yorkshire manufacturing floor, Mr. King crossed the line in our opinion by making personal remarks about the claimant’s appearance.’ The comment, according to the panel, had no purpose other than to violate Finn’s dignity by creating a hostile, demeaning environment for him.

The corporation claimed that women may be bald as well, but the panel, lamenting their own lack of hair, stated that it is more common in males than in women. The panel labeled King’s behavior as undesired and decided that the statement was made ‘on purpose’ and was connected to the claimant’s sex. Finn’s compensation will be assessed at a later date.