Straight man wins claim over gay taunts

Stephen English, 56, who is heterosexual, was repeatedly called a “faggot” by workmates purely because they found out he had been educated at boarding school and lived in Brighton, the Court of Appeal heard.

The colleagues knew he was not gay but still suggested, in an in-house company magazine, that he had worn “skin-tight Lycra cycling shorts” to Brighton’s Gay Pride parade.

Mr English, 56, who worked as a sales representative for blind and awning maker Thomas Sanderson of Portsmouth, claims he had to leave his position because of the campaign of abuse.

He made a compensation claim for sexual harassment but it was initially rejected by an employment tribunal, and then by the Employment Appeal Tribunal.

However, the Court of Appeal reversed those decisions saying Mr English had been sexually harassed by the homophobic comments and it was irrelevant whether he was in fact gay or not.

 See Straight man wins claim over gay taunts
Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom