Q: What is sexual harassment?
A: Sexual harassment is unwanted sexual comments, looks or touching (patting someone's butt, for example) that makes another person feel uncomfortable. It can also be asking for sex in exchange for something, like a promotion at work. It's a kind of bullying that usually goes on, even after a person asks the harasser to stop.
Here are some examples:
A supervisor or employer demands sex in exchange for a promotion or job.
Someone pinches another person's butt as the person walks by.
Someone yells out comments about another person's body-- usually zeroing in on the sexual parts.
Someone keeps asking another person for dates, even after that person has said no many times before.
A group of people corner a person and make threats about what they're going to do sexually to that person.
Sometimes, people will act surprised when they're told they are sexually harassing someone. But, the person being harassed is the one who decides what feels like harassment.
That means, you might think it's really romantic to keep writing notes to someone, telling them how much you like them. But if your love interest doesn't like it, you could be considered a harasser. And you could get into trouble for it. That's why it's really important to communicate and listen.
If you feel you're being harassed, be very clear to the person about how you feel--what you want and don't want. And, if you're pursuing someone, listen to them and respect their wishes, even if that means you don't get your way.
