A woman who was refused a haircut at a Brisbane barber shop has forced landlords to change the lease conditions that saw her turned away.
The Gap Village Shopping Centre has apologised to Vivien Houston after she was turned away by her regular cutter at Jimmy Rod's Barbershop.
Ms Houston said she was told it was because she was a woman and the barber shop chain blamed lease conditions imposed by centre managers.
Late on Tuesday, the shopping centre said it never meant to impose discriminatory conditions and the barber shop's lease had been amended so all customers could have their haircut, regardless of gender.
"We do not condone discrimination in any form, including discrimination against customers based on gender," the centre said on its Facebook page.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
"... the intention was to ensure differentiation between the hairdressing businesses within the centre on the basis of barber-style versus salon-style services.
"However, we acknowledge that the wording, which has been in place since 2007, could be improved to more accurately reflect this intent."
Ms Houston, who has a men's style cut, is celebrating news, saying it shows the value of speaking up.
"I'm glad that speaking out about it has resulted in everyone becoming aware of the anti-discrimination legislation and being willing to make changes to the lease," she has told the ABC.
