Gay Stableboy Sexually Harassed Female Manager, Says Tribunal

A West Yorkshire, England, woman whose complaints of sexual harassment were initially discounted because her tormentor was gay has been awarded PS12,300 in damages.

"Gay men love boobs and bums" is what a gay male stable groom purportedly told his female livery yard manager as he groped her breasts. According to a complaint filed by Louise Smith, the inappropriate behavior that occurred on the job at St. Ives Equestrian Centre in Bingley also included the man flashing his genitals and simulating sex acts with her.

A story published on the U.K. Daily Mail Online reports that Smith's complaints were dismissed as lies by her employers because of the accused man's sexuality and that Smith was eventually subject to a disciplinary hearing and then fired for what she claimed was a trumped-up charge.

"Managing a livery yard was my dream job and I enjoyed the job I was employed to do," Smith said. "However, I felt totally unsupported throughout my employment."

Smith brought her claims to an industrial tribunal in Leeds, who ultimately upheld her claims of harassment and unfair dismissal and awarded her former employers to pay PS12,300 in damages.

While delivering the verdict, tribunal chairman Jonathan Whittaker said, "The fact that the groom is a homosexual should not make the allegations of sexual harassment less likely to be true."

Read the full story here.