White heterosexual males face discrimination everywhere, man says after winning employment tribunal

Feb 24, 2019 by Jill

by Colin Drury, Independent:

A potential police recruit who was rejected from a force because he is white, male and heterosexual has said he believes many other men may have been similarly discriminated against.

An employment tribunal found Cheshire Police was guilty of discrimination against Matthew Furlong on the grounds of sexual orientation, race and sex after his application to join was unsuccessful.

The 25-year-old particle physics graduate – who applied to be a constable in 2017 – discovered he had been turned down because the force needed more diverse candidates.

He said: “It has completely shattered my confidence in the police force recruitment system.

“The irony of the whole thing is that throughout the whole process I was required to demonstrate my honesty and integrity and they have completely undermined that.

“Had I lied on my interview form and said I was bisexual, for instance, there’s a strong possibility I would be working for Cheshire Police now based on a lie.”

Mr Furlong – whose father has served the same force for more than 20 years – said he had been on “cloud nine” after being told he “couldn’t have done more” during his interview.

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