Newcastle employment tribunal heard that it was 'quite normal' in the North East for anyone who does not like football to be considered gay.
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Mr Austin was asked whether he liked football. When he said he was not interested in it he was told 'you’re gay then'. Mr Laidlaw and Mr Kozlowski also told him he was 'not a real man'.
The tribunal panel noted: 'Both Mr Laidlaw and Mr Kozlowski, in their evidence, say that such an expression is quite normal in north east England football circles, in that anybody who does not like football must accordingly be homosexual.'