Red Hot Chilli Piper: Women grope me under my kilt
- Published
Willie Armstrong from the Red Hot Chilli Pipers has spoken out against the treatment of men wearing kilts
One of Scotland's leading pipers says he is groped, humiliated and photographed indecently by women on a regular basis while wearing a kilt.
Willie Armstrong from the Red Hot Chilli Pipers told BBC Scotland he had experienced inappropriate behaviour since childhood.
He believes other pipers have similar experiences and that complaints are often laughed off or dismissed.
Upskirting was banned in Scotland in 2009.
The practice - taking images or videos under a person's clothing in order to see genitals or underwear - was eventually banned in England and Wales last year following a campaign by a woman who was targeted at a music festival.
Mr Armstrong told BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime he was "weary" of the "true Scotsman" cliché and feels men are not taken seriously if they complain of inappropriate behaviour.
"It's just been a constant thing even since I was a wee laddie," he said. "Women used to put their hands up your kilt.
"I used to tell my mum and dad - they would say it's just one of those things. But is it really? That was 1976 behaviour, it's not acceptable."
The Red Hot Chilli Pipers have performed around the world
He added: "It's the constant 'are you a true Scotsman?' - basically asking you if you're wearing underwear or not. If you reversed that behaviour and I was to say to a woman 'can I ask what you're wearing underneath your dress' it would be a whole different ball game."
Mr Armstrong described a number of instances where he was sexually assaulted while performing.
At one corporate event, he said one woman took a picture underneath his kilt and passed her phone around the table.
Mr Armstrong said at one stage he was experiencing incidents "almost weekly"
"I actually had to stop playing," he said. "I keep thinking imagine I'd done that to her - I would be arrested, and rightly so. I don't find it funny - and I know other men do find it funny.
"I remember playing at Ayr Town Hall. I came off the stage, the crowd go crazy, and in trying to get back to the stage I don't know how many times there were hands up my kilt. I'm trying to play my pipes but I'm also trying to protect my own dignity."
Pipers frequently experience this kind of behaviour, according to Mr Armstrong, who at one point in his career was experiencing incidents "almost every week".
Mr Armstrong called for awareness on the issues men face
"Quite a lot of the time we just accept it," he said. "It's not just me, it would happen to every member of the band and it's not just guys in the Chilli Pipers.
"I think you need to look at it from their perspective - if you're going to say something to someone or touch somebody you need to have their permission first.
"There's a boundary there you cannot cross. And too many times it's been crossed."
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this article, BBC Action Line has a list of organisations and charities offering advice and support
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