Sexual Harassment

Your June 10 article on same-sex sexual harassment missed a very important distinction. It’s true that when gay men and lesbians are accused of harassment the cases are litigated under Title VII--and the accusers generally win. What you fail to mention, however, is that when “male workers, particularly in blue-collar jobs, complain that they have been grabbed in the crotch or buttocks by male co-workers or called vulgar names” in many cases the person harassed is gay and the harassment qualifies as gay-bashing.

This subtlety is of key importance in many cases going before the courts. Dismissing such behavior as “horseplay” ignores the fact that gay men and lesbians are often the targets of homophobic harassment in the workplace. If the Supreme Court glides past this distinction, then harassment against gays and lesbians will continue to go unchecked by the threat of legal recourse. And it’s just another day in America.

JOE ROLLINS

Santa Barbara