Sexual discrimination is not harassment

As one who has been appalled by the news that has been surfacing about the extent of sexual harassment in our society, I was interested to see the extensive coverage given the subject in Sunday’s Fresno Bee.

But having read the article, I find myself somewhat confused. Most of the complaints voiced were not about sexual harassment but about sexual discrimination. That is a serious problem that deserves attention, but it is not harassment.

I was surprised by the number of women who were offended by compliments regarding hair or clothes. One claimed that men are never subjected to this. Well, I am one man who had just that morning received several compliments about the shirt and jacket I wore to church.

I would never have suspected that these comments were sexually motivated, and I am confident that they were not. Teen girls at school have told me they thought my shoes looked nice, and boys have asked me where I bought them.

I would not for a moment think that these kids were hitting on me. The fact that they noticed my shoes showed that their eyes had traveled down, but only a very dirty mind would make anything of that.

The main impact on me of this article was to make me wonder if the extent of the problem may be badly exaggerated. Of course, if only a tenth of the reports have merit it is still an outrageous and horrifying situation, and those who have suffered have my full sympathy and any support I can give toward ending the vile practice.

This story was originally published January 30, 2018 at 2:49 PM with the headline "Sexual discrimination is not harassment."