Same Sex Harassment

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Same Sex Harassment

Joseph Oncale was employed from August to November of 1991 by Sundowner Offshore Services, Inc., as a roustabout on a sea-based oil rig for $7 an hour. He had worked on offshore rigs before (and does today), but says he's never encountered such abusive treatment as when he signed on with Sundowner.

Oncale claims that while on the job he was sexually harassed by three male Sundowner employees: John Lyons, his supervisor; and Danny Pippen and Brandon Johnson, two co-workers. Early during Oncale's employment, Lyons, Pippen, and Brandon began threatening Oncale with rape. Oncale endured months of constant harassment and verbal threats while on the job.

On October 25, 1991, the threats became reality when Oncale was physically and sexually attacked. Pippen grabbed him, pulled him down, and held him immobile in a squatting position on his knees while Lyons unzipped his pants, pulled out his penis, and stuck it onto the back of Oncale's head. When Oncale asked them to quit, Lyons and Pippen laughed. Oncale learned later that day that most of his coworkers had seen the assault. The next day he was attacked again, this time by Brandon Johnson. Oncale complained to Lyon's superiors.

That same night, Lyons and Pippen attempted to rape Oncale as he was taking a shower. Pippen grabbed him and lifted him off of the ground. Oncale states that while Pippen held him aloft, Lyons used a bar of soap as a tool for sexual abuse. Lyons told him, "You know, they're fixing to f*** you" (Oncale Amicus Brief). Oncale wrestled his way free of the men and escaped.

Oncale complained further and tried to arrange to get off the oil rig, but his supervisor retaliated. Lyons said, "You told you daddy, huh? Well, it a...

... middle of paper ...

...ttling because it smacks of a "Lord of the Flies" mentality.

Men that engage in such behavior are obviously morally deficient, and that may not be changeable; but perhaps the Supreme Court's judgment will at least let those same men know that the law considers such behavior morally and legally wrong, and from now on, they must pay for the crime of sexual harassment, regardless of their victim's gender.

Bibliography:

Solomon, Robert C. "The Right to Dignity: Harassment and Sex in the Office." It's Good Business: Ethics and Free Enterprise for the New Millennium. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 1997.

Cloud, John. "Harassed or Hazed?" Time Online Mar. 1998: Vol. 151.

Cornell University Law Department. Online. http://www.2law.cornell/edu

Oncale Amicus Brief. Online. http://members.aol.com/map/11215/Oncale/reader1.html

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