A male New York City Police Department sergeant filed a sexual harassment complaint against his male boss after years of unwanted advances from the commanding officer. The sergeant was "fed up" with the unwanted advances and finally decided to take action, filing a formal complaint with the NYPD Office of Equal Employment Opportunity.
The sergeant's boss would allegedly commenting on "how sexy" he looked and that he was subjected to unwanted touching by his boss during patrols.
Other members of the department would make jokes about these types of instances, even commenting that the plaintiff should "Take one for the team." It was only last month, after plaintiff revealed the conduct to two lieutenants who urged him to report the misconduct to the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity, that he finally reported the misconduct.
There is a stigma attached to male on male sexual harassment, as evidenced by some of the behavior exhibited by plaintiff's command in this case. As a result of this pressure from co-workers and others, many are reluctant to come forward and feel they do not fit into the traditional mold of what constitutes sexual harassment, in which a male employer is making unwanted sexual advances towards a female employee. Sexual Harassment has no rigid form, and, in fact, there is no 'typical' mold that excludes certain types of people from experiencing this unwelcome conduct.
Many individuals are victimized by sexual harassment in the workplace but are reluctant to express this, as there are still those who do not view male on male harassment as an actual problem. Male on male sexual harassment is a valid claim and is prohibited by the New York City Human Rights Law.