What Does it Mean to be Sexually Intimidated?
When discussing sexual harassment and sexual assault, it is important to remember that not everything has to do with a sexual act. There are aspects of harassment that involve how people react to someone else’s gender or gender choices, and how people choose to interact with other people.
Sexual intimidation is the act of intimidating people based on their gender, gender choices, sexual preferences, or other lifestyle choices. This is the sort of behavior companies need to be able to address with policies that offer strong punishment for repeat offenders.
The Basis of Sexual Intimidation
Sexual intimidation is a mixture of sexual harassment and bullying. Neither of these activities have a place in our society, and that is why it is important to act against sexual intimidation when we see it. For example, if a coworker tries to humiliate a male coworker for being effeminate, then that is sexual intimidation.
Are People Sexually Intimidating?
Being sexually intimidating is a behavior that can sometimes be difficult for people to control. The natural tendency some people have towards bullying can lead directly to being sexually intimidating. When these types of people see someone who may not be in line with the aggressor’s ideas of gender or sexual identity, then that aggressor’s natural response is to attempt to embarrass or humiliate the person.
Is Sexual Intimidation Dangerous?
It would be easy if sexual intimidation could simply be dismissed as crass people doing crass things. Then we could ignore sexually intimidating people and they can exist in their own hate-filled world. But there are many documented cases where sexual intimidation has escalated from the desire to embarrass a victim to the need to harm that victim. In a workplace setting where coworkers come into contact with each other on a regular basis, sexual intimidation is something that should be addressed immediately.
Fear of the Unknown
When a person’s first reaction to someone displaying unique sexual characteristics is sexual intimidation, then that could indicate a deeper issue that aggressor has with things they do not understand. In some cases, having an aggressor take the time to get to know a potential victim can stop sexual intimidation in its tracks.
Our law firm understands the dangers of sexual intimidation and we are ready to help you in your situation. If you have tried to have issues of sexual intimidation handled by your human resources department and got no results, then give our sexual harassment attorneys a call and we will give you the legal help you need to correct that situation.