Gender
discrimination and sexual harassment are prohibited by Title VII of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 as amended and Title IX of the Educational
Amendments of 1972. The law prohibits discrimination on the basis of
sex, in any federally funded education program or activity. It is
unlawful for an institution that receives federal funds to discriminate
on the basis of sex against students, faculty and staff.
Definitions
Gender
discrimination is unequal or disadvantageous treatment of a group or an
individual based on gender. Sexual harassment is a form of gender
discrimination.
Sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual
advances, sexual assaults, or requests for sexual favors, and other
verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.
Examples:
Verbal: sexual innuendo, suggestive comments,
insults, threats, jokes or derogatory comments based on gender, sexual
propositions or advances, pressure for sexual favors.
Nonverbal: posting of sexually suggestive or
derogatory pictures, cartoons or drawings, making suggestive or
insulting noises, leering, whistling, or making obscene gestures.
Physical: touching, pinching, squeezing, patting,
brushing against body; impeding or blocking normal work or movement;
coercing sexual intercourse; stalking or assault.
Sexual violence
refers to physical sexual acts perpetrated against a person’s will or
where a person is incapable of giving consent (due to age, use of drugs
or alcohol, or because of an intellectual or other disability). Sexual
violence includes rape, sexual assault, sexual battery, sexual abuse,
and sexual coercion.
Sexual intimidation, includes, but is not
limited to threatening to sexually assault another person, stalking,
cyber-stalking and engaging in indecent exposure.
Relationship
violence includes threats or a pattern of abusive behavior of a physical
or sexual nature by one partner intended to control, intimidate,
manipulate, humiliate, frighten, coerce or injure the other.
The Office of Civil Rights provides further insight about sexual assault in a
Dear Colleague letter dated 4/4/2011
For further information, review the
DMACC Educational Procedure ES4645 Discrimination and Harassment Complaint Procedure