In an unexpected turn of events, a UK court has ruled that calling a man "bald" is considered a form of sexual harassment in the workplace.
In 2022, a panel of UK judges came to the astonishing ruling, concluding that calling a man bald at work is a form of discrimination - comparable to remarking on a woman's breast size.
The decision was made by three judges at a North Yorkshire tribunal - all of whom have themselves suffered from hair loss, The Telegraph reported.
The case was brought about by electrician Tony Finn, who'd taken his former employers, the British Bung Company, to court when he was fired after almost 24 years of service.
Finn alleged that he had been the victim of sexual harassment because his supervisor Jamie King called him a "bald c***".
King's comment - which he made in 2019 - sparked an altercation between the two, and they almost came to blows.
Finn claimed that following the incident he "feared for his personal safety", adding that he wasn't happy with his appearance being criticized publicly.
Remarkably, the tribunal agreed with Finn, with lead judge Jonathan Brain deciding that King's comments were not only offensive, they were a form of harassment.
A lawyer for the British Bung Company had argued that the remark was not sexist because both men and women can be bald, however, the panel responded: "As all three members of the Tribunal will vouchsafe, baldness is much more prevalent in men than women.
"This is strong language. Mr King crossed the line by making remarks personal to the claimant about his appearance," the tribunal found.
"In our judgment, there is a connection between the word 'bald' on the one hand and the protected characteristic of sex on the other. We find it to be inherently related to sex," they continued.
The judges compared Finn's case to a historical tribunal in which a man had commented on the size of his female co-worker's breasts.
"It is much more likely that a person on the receiving end of a comment such as that which was made in [that] case would be female," the tribunal said, adding: "So too, it is much more likely that a person on the receiving end of a remark such as that made by Mr King would be male.
"The tribunal therefore determines that by referring to the claimant as a 'bald c***', Mr King's conduct was a violation of the claimant's dignity, it created an intimidating environment for him, it was done for that purpose, and it related to the claimant's sex," they concluded.
Finn, who was set to receive compensation after the ruling, said: "I hope my win helps to stop other men being insulted and verbally attacked because they are bald.
"Losing my hair wasn’t something that really bothered me, but the individual who was insulting me really scared me."
The British Bung Company said it was "surprised" by the employment tribunal's decision.
.jpg_HJK3mA?tr=h-184)
.jpg_ItSksm?tr=h-184)
