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Employment Law

Title 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.