Jennifer Beck wins sexual harassment, anti-discrimination case
The Gympie flight instructor was the target of sexual harassment and discrimination in 2015 in emails sent by a property developer and pilot
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A transgender flight instructor has finally claimed victory in a six-year-long battle over sexual harassment and discrimination directed towards her while she was working at Gympie’s airport.
Jennifer Beck became the target of property investor and pilot Blair Rowan in 2015 after Mr Rowan wrote two emails attacking her gender and later claimed she sexually harassed him years earlier when she trained him to be a pilot.
The Australian reported Mr Rowan had been fighting to overturn a ruling and earlier appeal the decision by the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal which found he harassed Ms Beck in the emails and had further victimised her with the “made-up” harassment claim.
In the emails, sent in 2015 to the club’s committee, Mr Beck said he would “be far too busy broadsiding Jen Beck as to why we should clean his s--- from the side of a toilet bowl but he cant (sic). And also why he uses the female toilet?”
He later asked how a woman would feel sharing a toilet or change room with a man.
The emails were passed to Ms Beck, who lodged an anti-discrimination claim in 2016.
Mr Rowan lost an appeal against the ruling in February and this month dropped plans to continue the fight at a hearing in August.
He also paid Ms Beck $19,000 in compensation, the maximum allowed under Queensland’s Anti-Discrimination Act.
It was reported that under the settlement the 72-year-old Ms Beck would not pursue any action to recover her legal costs.
She told News Corp she was “relieved” the battle was finally over.
Ms Beck has lived in a caravan at the Kybong Airport for a decade.
She trained pilots and served as a regional safety officer and liaison with Gympie Regional Council.
Mr Rowan declined a request by News Corp for comment.
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