A MAN who was appointed Scotland’s first “period dignity officer” has settled a sex discrimination case out of court.
Jason Grant, formerly a personal trainer, previously claimed he was threatened and abused for taking on the role, and sued the Tayside partnership that hired him.
The case was set to begin in March, but The Times reports that Grant has settled his claim out of court for an undisclosed sum.
The role would have seen Grant ensure public bodies in Angus, Dundee, and Perth and Kinross were providing free menstrual products.
It became a legal right to have access to free period products in August last year, with public buildings and education settings required to provide them.
Grant’s suitability for the role was widely questioned, including by Tennis champion Martina Navratilova, 67, who said: “Have we ever tried to explain to men how to shave or how to take care of their prostate or whatever? This is absurd.”
Ian Blackford, then-SNP Westminster leader, said at the time: “It would be far better that women are in these posts than anyone else.”
The £35,000 a year role, which Grant was hired on a two-year fixed-term contract, would have included Dundee and Angus College, Perth College, Angus Council and Dundee City Council.
He would have worked directly with colleges and local authorities to ensure period dignity across the area, telling the Courier at the time he was “buzzing” to take on the “pioneering” role.
However, the role was axed after the backlash.
A spokesperson for the Period Dignity Working Group in Tayside said at the time: “It is regrettable that given the threats and abuse levelled at individuals in recent weeks, the period dignity regional lead officer role will not continue.”
The Tribunal Service confirmed that Grant’s case had been settled out of court, but no details of the settlement have been made public.
A Dundee and Angus College spokesman told the BBC: “The dispute between the parties has been resolved and no further statement shall be made.”
Grant’s legal team had previously expected that the case would be heard over a number of weeks with a number of witnesses called to testify.
The period dignity officer role was created after the Period Products (Free Provision) Act was brought in by Holyrood last year, requiring councils, schools and colleges to offer tampons and sanitary pads for free.
While the role was funded by the Scottish Government, it said it was not involved in making the appointments to such posts.
