A pub or club customer should be able to choose whether they want to be searched by a male or female member of staff. It is never acceptable to search someone to find out their gender, according to a four-page guidance document for door staff on ‘trans customers’, released by the Security Industry Authority. Visit the SIA website.
Be aware, the document advises, that you might get situations in which a trans person looks different to how they look on their ID. While some trans people do change their ID to their new identity, some do not want to change their ID; others may not have changed ID yet. And as for what toilet a trans person uses, it is not a trans person’s fault if other people object to them using the toilet they feel is appropriate for them, the SIA says. If others are complaining, don’t force a trans person to use a toilet for the disabled.
The SIA is reminding the private security industry to treat everyone with dignity and respect as set out in the Equality Act 2010.
This advice follows reports in the media of people being denied entry or ejected from venues operating in the night time economy based on their race, religion, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or disability.
Chief Executive of the SIA, Alan Clamp, said: “We want to remind the industry that there is a legal responsibility on providers of private security services to ensure that they comply with the Equality Act (2010). This is true for their own recruitment purposes and for when they are interacting with members of the public.”
The Equality Act places a duty on all individuals and businesses not to unlawfully discriminate against people on the basis of:
•Age
•Race
•Religion
•Sexual orientation
•Disability
•Gender Reassignment
As the regulator of the UK’s private security industry, the SIA says that it will do what it can to help the industry meet these obligations. It will be issuing guidance (as and when it is ready) to address particular aspects of equality.
A 24-page piece of guidance is for people with disabilities on working within the private security industry. Disabled people are under-represented in the industry, the SIA points out. The guidance says: “Physical abilities can be necessary for some jobs, for example, to enable you to patrol an area or escort out of a nightclub someone who is violent. However, there are types of jobs in the private security industry and lots of different places where you could be doing them. This means that disabled people can find a job in private security that is right for them.”
