Employment LawTitle VII |
Does Title VII protect employees who are harassed by members of the same sex? |
Yes, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services (1998; see LegalSpeak, p. 238) that Title VII also prohibits discrimination based on sex that includes same-sex sexual harassment. Joseph Oncale alleged that he was sexually harassed by several male co-workers, including one who threatened to rape him. His complaints to supervisors went ignored and he sued under Title VII.