What IS sexual harassment? Like, really?
The answer seems obvious to many. But if it were obvious, we likely wouldn’t have so many issues identifying it, right? Why does this keep coming up in the music industry? Well, it comes down to power and definition. We’re going to address the latter here.
First, it’s important to acknowledge that in the US, sexual harassment is only illegal in school and at work. Those places are considered protected— you should have a right to get an education and to earn a living. But that also means that harassment that happens elsewhere, like on the street, is technically legal, at least until it gets to the point that someone is breaking another law. But street harassment, itself, is not illegal. That’s a problem for another blog!
There are two main types of sexual harassment:
Quid pro quo harassment, which is Latin for “this for that.” This is when someone in power, usually in this case, either a boss or a teacher asks for sex in exchange for something. They may say that you will get a raise or a good grade if engage in the sexual behavior they want, or on the flipside, it means that if you don’t engage in that they will fire you or give you a bad grade. This is the type of harassment you hear about the most in the news because it is fairly clear-cut. Harvey Weinstein and the like are guilty of quid pro quo harassment.
Hostile environment harassment is a little murkier. It occurs when an environment in a workplace or a school is so uncomfortable that their work or learning is impaired. It is said that it is supposed to be “persistent or severe.” So, this could mean either one really egregious act, or a lot of “smaller” acts, such as telling gender-based jokes, sharing porn with coworkers, consistently making comments about a coworker’s body or appearance, leering, or sending sexual text messages. Basically, it’s anything sex or gender-related that makes you feel uncomfortable.
Here are some examples of how this shows up in the music gear industry:
Gender or sexuality-related stereotyping in person or online (this includes social media posts or meme-sharing)
LGBTQ+ jokes, slurs, misgendering, or unwanted comments or questions about someone's sexuality or gender identity
Posters, merch, or other imagery that puts the focus on someone's gender or sexuality in a way that does not give them power (see: previous discussions here on sexual empowerment vs. objectification) or that features illustrations of gender-based violence
Asking folks for sexual favors in exchange for a feature somewhere
Sexual or gender-based comments, slurs, or jokes (this may be racialized if experienced by someone who is BIPOC)
Oversharing of sexual stories
Unwanted touching
Part of the issue with hostile environment sexual harassment is that some people don’t define the issue as a problem in the first place. And if no one calls them out on it (in person or online), then in this situation, they are right. This harmful behavior has become normalized.
That is why it is extremely important that if someone witnesses harassment that they either tell the offender or their boss, or both— that the behavior is unacceptable so that it does not continue. I covered more about bystander intervention in Episode 016 of Mid-Riff and in this piece for men in the music gear industry who want to help.
If harassment happens to you, first, it is never ever your fault. And second, even if you never choose to report, the persistence piece of the definition means it’s useful to document the behaviors- writing down the time and place that the behavior occurred and who witnessed it. If it is something that occurs through technology, like a phone or email, either screenshot it or save the email or text. This is how you can demonstrate the “persistence” of the behavior.
If you have been harassed you can reach out to your local Rape Crisis or Resource Center or report it to the EEOC in the US. Nationally, RAINN can provide support, as well.