Educating the Public About Sexual Harassment

Know Where The Line Is, No Means NO!

Are you one of the many Californians who experience the destructive realities of sexual harassment or other workplace harassment? Most employees suffer in silence and experience strained relations with supervisors, co-workers, friends and loved ones. The first step to stopping the pain is learning what constitutes illegal harassment.

Sexual harassment involves treating employees differently with respect to the terms, condition and privileges of employment based on sex. It comes basically in three varieties.

1 The law prohibits an employer from conditioning employment privileges on the granting of sexual favors, or denying privileges because an employee has refused to grant sexual favors. This type of sexual harassment has historically been known as quid pro quo harassment and implies that an employee's treatment in the workplace is dependent on the extent to which they grant sexual favors to supervisors or managers.
2 The law also prohibits the maintenance of a sexually hostile working environment, whether the hostility is caused by supervisors, managers or coworkers. To be actionable the harassment must be sufficiently severe or pervasive to materially alter the employee's working conditions. This type of harassment has traditionally been called hostile environment harassment to distinguish it from the quid pro quo type described above.
3 A third related issue involves retaliation for reporting or complaining about something an employee believes in good faith to be sexual harassment. The law prohibits an employer from retaliating against an employee who reports sexual harassment directed at themselves or directed at others in the work place.

If you feel you are a victim of any of the above or of any other situation in which you feel you are a victim of Sexual Harassment you should CONTACT the Sexual Harassment Justice Center and let us help you fight back!