Gay man wins £13,000 after being bullied at work

A gay man has been awarded more than £13,000 in compensation after a tribunal found he had been bullied at work for his sexuality.

Steven Bain said his colleagues at The Lighthouse in Glasgow, an architecture and design centre, asked him if he found the words “poof” and “queer” offensive and whether he had ever dressed as a woman, STV reports.

He also said his colleagues walked out of the room when he entered and told him they were “disgusted” that he had gone to a gay bar.

In addition, Mr Bain said they had discussed whether he should share cups with other workers and decked out a Christmas tree in red AIDS ribbons.

He had worked at the centre as a visitor service assistant and said that he had noticed a “change of culture” in 2007.

Mr Bain complained about his treatment but his grievances were dismissed in April last year. Five months later, he was made redundant, which he claimed may have been motivated by his complaints against colleagues.

He took his former employers to a tribunal, citing harassment on sexual orientation grounds and unfair dismissal, and was awarded £13,528 after the panel ruled that he endured a “hostile” and “degrading” working environment.