OPINION It is clear that while there appears to be a willingness to have equity between the sexes, less discrimination and a more tolerant society, there is evidently no such thing in practice. – Amanda Hamilton When a female gay friend heard the raised voices outside her home of her immediate female neighbour speaking to a man, and asked whether everything was alright. The man, another neighbour, with whom she had never spoken previously, aggressively turned to her and told her to mind her own business and told her that her boundary wall between her property and that of her opposite neighbour was coming down. This friend, who is a very strong independent woman, and well-integrated socially, was unusually upset by this unprovoked aggressive comment and was convinced it was fuelled by homophobia. There was nothing in the comments made to indicate this, but she just instinctively knew. She called the police and explained the incident to the two officers that arrived and they offered to visit the neighbour. As it transpired, some months’ later, the friend requested the police report and was shocked to find that the police officers completely rejected her allegation and believed the neighbour when he said that it was just a spat and there was nothing in it. The police even stated in the report that there was definitely no ‘homophobia’ involved as the neighbour had denied it. This, unfortunately, is the nature of the beast. If a female worker complains about sexual harassment at work, it becomes the word of the victim against the perpetrator. When working in the property business many years ago, a boss was in the habit of commenting on women’s attributes as they walked past the shopfront. Having informed him that I found these misogynistic comments insulting and inappropriate, he just told me to lighten up and that if I wanted to ‘move up’ the ladder, I would have to change my attitude. It was just a bit of ‘fun’. I have had similar stories told to me in respect of discrimination due to ethnic origin. A friend of colour went for a job interview. She was well educated, well qualified and had massive experience in the particular field with excellent references. She did not get the job. This is not necessarily uncommon, but she told me that in the interview, which she thought went very well on the whole, there was a feeling from one of the three interviewing her that she definitely thought was not right and her instinct told her it was discrimination. She is not the sort of person that plays that card. She shrugged it off because that was all she could do. She could not go back and complain because what would be the basis of the claim? A feeling? An instinct? In conclusion, laws may be there to protect individuals legally in theory, but in practice they don’t prevent inequality or injustices or discrimination from actually happening in society. It’s just far more difficult to prove. So, how do we affect a change? Well, that is the question! Perhaps the best way is to make a complaint to the police under the umbrella of ‘Anti-Social Behaviour’ and insist that you see the police report. If, as happened to my friend, the report is inaccurate, you should then make a point of complaining further. Alternatively, you could request a legal professional, such as a Licensed Paralegal, to write a letter to the perpetrator. Neither action may produce a satisfactory result, but the more these incidents are addressed, the more it may affect a change in attitude, although it may take a very long time. Amanda Hamilton is Patron of the National Association of Licensed Paralegals. Brave | Curious | Resilient / www.cicm.com / <strong>November</strong> / PAGE 28
Brave | Curious | Resilient / www.cicm.com / <strong>November</strong> / PAGE 29
Change language