SIA Equality and Diversity 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A door supervisor witnesses a hate crime taking place outside the venue. What should they do?
- Intervene physically to stop the crime immediately
- Ignore it as it is outside the venue premises
- Call 999, ensure the safety of the victim if possible, preserve evidence, and note details for a witness statement (Correct answer)
- Film it on their personal mobile phone and post it online
Correct answer: Call 999, ensure the safety of the victim if possible, preserve evidence, and note details for a witness statement
The priority is to ensure safety, contact the police via 999, and preserve evidence. Door supervisors should note descriptions, times, and details for a witness statement. Physical intervention should only occur if absolutely necessary to prevent serious harm, and recording for social media is inappropriate and potentially illegal.
Question 2: What is a hate crime as defined by UK law?
- Any crime committed by a person who has previously expressed prejudiced views
- A criminal offence perceived by the victim or any other person to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on disability, race, religion, sexual orientation, or transgender identity (Correct answer)
- Only physical assault motivated by racial hatred
- A crime that is reported to a specialist hate crime unit
Correct answer: A criminal offence perceived by the victim or any other person to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on disability, race, religion, sexual orientation, or transgender identity
A hate crime is any criminal offence perceived by the victim or any other person to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on five monitored strands: disability, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or transgender identity. Perception-based recording means the victim's view is central.
Question 3: A patron tells a door supervisor they identify as non-binary and prefer the pronoun 'they'. How should the door supervisor respond professionally?
- Tell the patron that only 'he' or 'she' are acceptable pronouns
- Respect the patron's stated pronoun and use 'they' when addressing or referring to them (Correct answer)
- Ignore the request as it has no legal basis
- Ask the patron to provide documentation proving their gender identity
Correct answer: Respect the patron's stated pronoun and use 'they' when addressing or referring to them
Professional door supervisors should respect a patron's stated pronouns. Gender reassignment is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, and deliberately misgendering someone could constitute harassment. Using someone's preferred pronoun is a matter of professional courtesy and legal compliance.
Question 4: A venue has a 'no headwear' policy. A Sikh patron wearing a turban wishes to enter. What should the door supervisor do?
- Strictly enforce the policy and refuse entry
- Allow entry because the turban is an article of faith and the policy should not apply to religious headwear (Correct answer)
- Ask the patron to remove the turban for a security check then put it back on
- Refuse entry and direct the patron to another venue
Correct answer: Allow entry because the turban is an article of faith and the policy should not apply to religious headwear
A blanket 'no headwear' rule would constitute indirect discrimination against Sikhs, for whom the turban (dastar) is an article of religious faith. The Equality Act 2010 protects religion or belief. The policy should have an exception for religious headwear to be lawful.
Question 5: What is victimisation under the Equality Act 2010?
- Being the victim of any type of crime
- Being treated unfavourably because you have made or supported a complaint about discrimination (Correct answer)
- Being bullied at work by a colleague
- Receiving unwanted contact from a former partner
Correct answer: Being treated unfavourably because you have made or supported a complaint about discrimination
Victimisation under the Equality Act 2010 specifically means treating someone badly because they have made a complaint or raised a grievance about discrimination, or because they have supported someone else's complaint. It protects people who speak up about discrimination from retaliation.
Question 6: Which of the following is an example of associative discrimination?
- Refusing to promote someone because of their own disability
- Treating a door supervisor less favourably because their child has a disability (Correct answer)
- Applying a policy that disadvantages people of a certain religion
- Paying women less than men for the same work
Correct answer: Treating a door supervisor less favourably because their child has a disability
Associative discrimination occurs when someone is treated less favourably because of their association with a person who has a protected characteristic, even though they do not share that characteristic themselves. For example, discriminating against someone because their family member is disabled.
SIA Equality and Diversity 3
A door supervisor witnesses a hate crime taking place outside the venue.
What should they do?