Fed up of with being constantly groped by women, the waiters of Scottish pub ‘Hootananny’, in Inveness, have decided to stop wearing their kilts. That’s a pretty big deal, since Hootananny staff have been wearing tartan to match the traditional Scottish atmosphere, ever since the place opened. But now the guys say that they’re being sexually harassed by female revelers who lift up their kilts to check if they are true Scotsmen!
According to Hootananny assistant manager Iain Howie, the harassment usually occurs during the weekends when the pub is at its busiest. “You get large groups of drinking women circling around when you are collecting glasses and asking whether you are a true Scotsman,” he said. “And they find out for themselves.”
“The first few times it’s funny,” he added. “But when it is really busy and everyone has to work fast and hard, and your hands are full of glasses, you feel quite vulnerable. You are thinking, ‘are you going to get broken glasses, or is your kilt going to get lifted up again?’ They see it as a bit of fun, but it is a bit of an embarrassment.”
Photo: Hootananny/Twitter
Hootananny founder Kit Fraser has taken his staff’s side on the issue, describing it as ‘pure sexism’. “It may seem funny but it is serious, too – the women are sticking their hands up their kilts. Can you imagine if I went into a restaurant and stuck my hand up a girl’s skirt? I would be taken to the police station and rightly so.”
“I look after my customers but equally important are my staff,” he added. “I am not forcing them to do something they don’t want to do. We fellows are very, very aware of sexism. I think the women need to catch up.”
Photo: UK Beach Guide
The staff’s decision to stop wearing kilts is being supported by several organisations and individuals. Scottish Licensed Trade Association representative Ramsay McGhee said that no employee of either sex should have to tolerate such kind of harassment at work. “It seems these guys have found a pragmatic and commonsense solution to an irritating problem,” he said. “It is a shame – wearing a kilt in a place like Hootananny adds to the whole character and atmosphere.”
Everyone thinks it is a bit of fun but it depends on how it is done,” added Cameron Ross, who conducts walking tours of Inverness city. “If you are stuck in a crowded pub, it could be very difficult. I can see their point of view. If you don’t want attention, you should not have to put up with it.”
Photo: Twitter
“Everybody in Scotland should have the right to work without fear of harassment and it is important management in all working environments do what they can to ensure this happens,” a government spokesperson said.
It does seem rather unfair and unfortunate that men receive such treatment at their own workplace, and also quite sad that they won’t be wearing their kilts – a national Scottish tradition – anymore. Apparently, sexism goes both ways.
via Telegraph.co.uk
