Groping women force barmen to stop wearing kilts

Bar staff at a pub in Inverness have stopped wearing their kilts after complaining of constant harassment by women attempting to check whether they are "true Scotsmen". Until now, the men at Hootananny have donned their tartan in keeping with the pub’s traditional atmosphere. But they are swapping to trousers, claiming sexual harassment mainly from groups of women revellers who lift up their kilts to check if they are wearing anything underneath. Iain Howie, the pub’s assistant manager, said the incidents mostly happened at a weekends when the bar was particularly busy.

"You get large groups of drinking women circling around when you are collecting glasses and asking whether you are true Scotsman – and they find out for themselves," he said. "The first few times it is funny. 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." Kit Fraser, the owner of Hootananny, described it as "pure sexism".



He said: "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." He added: "I look after my customers but equally important are my staff. 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." Ramsay McGhee, of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association, said no employee of either sex should put up with harassment at work. "It seems these guys have found a pragmatic and commonsense solution to an irritating problem.

"It is a shame - wearing the kilt in a place like Hootananny adds to the whole character and atmosphere." There was also sympathy for the bar staff from kilt wearer Cameron Ross, who conducts walking tours of Inverness. "Everyone thinks it is a bit of fun but it depends how it is done," said Mr Ross, of Happy Tours. "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 the attention, you should not have to put up with it." A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "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."