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The present research explored female‐perpetrated stranger sexual harassment of young male victims. Across two studies, male participants aged 16–23 reported that they had experienced a range of unwanted sexual attention from unknown female perpetrators, including both in‐person harassment (e.g., seductive behavior and catcalls, unwanted sexual touching) and online harassment (e.g., unsolicited sexual text messages and images, requests for nude self photos). Participants reported that in‐person sexual harassment started as early as 9–12 years of age and online harassment began between 12–14 years of age. Open‐ended descriptions of these early events revealed troubling narratives of non‐consensual sexual touching, forcibly removed clothing, groping, aggression, and being followed, with much of it committed by adult women. Participants recounted being asked, in adolescence, to send nude photos and receiving persistent sexual demands, often from older women. In addition, participants reported uncertainty with gender role expectations, believing that they were supposed to enjoy sexual attention but in reality finding it disturbing and unpleasant. Practical implications, policy recommendations, and future directions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, debates around sexual violence against men (SVAM) started to gain momentum in policy and research. Yet, the conceptualization and empirical identification of SVAM became a matter of political contestation, with incidents often being depicted through de-sexualized labels such as 'inhumane acts' and 'cruel treatment'. The fluidity of sexual meanings surrounding these episodes highlights the intricate relationship between 'sex' and 'violence': Do we always already know what sexual violence is? What does the language of sexual violence obscure, flatten and trivialize? This contribution draws on Marysia Zalewski's interventions to interrogate concepts and framings commonly used to 'read' episodes of sexual violence against men. In particular, it follows Zalewski and Runyan's efforts to 'unthink' what we 'know' and how we 'know' sexual violence against men in global politics, while interrogating the relationship between sex and violence in particular performances of bodily violence. The analysis draws on extensive archival research conducted in the files of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and of the Peruvian Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Surveyed documents include records and proceedings, such as trial transcripts and statements of victims and witnesses involved in incidents of violence against men during the conflicts in former Yugoslavia and Peru. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual harassment is a serious organizational problem. Despite the burgeoning of research over the past 30 years, there has been less attention provided to male victim voices. The current study qualitatively explores the experiences of two male victims of sexual harassment who were harassed by male perpetrators. The study explores the interplay of uncertainties, threats, and negotiation of masculine, heterosexual identities. We also highlight the differences and similarities between the men's communication practices during what we call the build up, the realization, and others' responses to the men's narratives. Theoretical implications are offered for hegemonic masculinity and liminality in relation to the experiences of male victims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies show equal impact of sexual harassment (SH) on men and women, whereas lay perceptions are that women suffer more. We identify the phenomenon of minimization of male suffering (MMS), which occurs when people assume that SH has less effect on men's well-being and which results in the perpetrators of SH on men being evaluated less harshly. To verify whether these effects occur, we conducted two studies in which we presented stories describing acts of sexual coercion (SC, study 1) and SC or financial coercion (FC, study 2) and measured the perceived suffering of victims and the perception of the perpetrators. Both studies showed that female victims were perceived to suffer more from SC and FC and that perpetrators of both acts on women were evaluated more negatively. The results support our hypothesis that the suffering of male victims is minimized as they are perceived to suffer less than women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored whether tolerance of sexual harassment of men (TSHM) is driven by a common set of sexist ideologies typically found to be related to tolerance of sexual harassment of women. University students (N = 433) completed a modified version of the Sexual Harassment Attitude Scale (SHAS) designed to measure TSHM. Predictor variables included sexual harassment myths about women, modern sexism, hostile, and benevolent sexism toward men and women and participant gender. A factor analysis of the measure revealed two reliable factors (sexual harassment as flirtation and minimization of victimization). With the exception of benevolence toward women, men scored higher on all measures of sexism and TSHM, yet correlational patterns showed a similar trend among men and women, suggesting a shared ideological belief that justifies TSHM. Despite differences in participant sex on most measures, participant sex was not a significant moderating variable in regression analyses when examining factors relating to TSHM. These results provide support that tolerance of sexual harassment is driven by a common set of sexist attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contrary to common belief, research shows that male adolescents are frequent targets of sexual harassment. According to some prior studies, early puberty puts male adolescents at a particular risk for being sexually harassed. In this cross-sectional study, we tested two competing explanations of the link between male pubertal timing and sexual harassment in early adolescence. The explanations were based on evolutionary and feminist theories. The sample included 704 seventh-grade Swedish male adolescents ( M = 13.37, SD = .59). We found that looking more mature and being sexually active significantly mediated the link between pubertal timing and sexual harassment. The magnitude of the indirect effects did not differ significantly from each other. These findings largely replicate prior research for female adolescents, and they suggest that early pubertal timing is linked to victimizing sexual phenomena in early adolescence through young men's normative sexually mature appearance and sexual activities. Tolerance and respect for differences should be central components of interventions aimed at reducing sexual harassment among young people of any gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the processes of exclusion by which male victims of sexual violence in conflict (SVC) are overlooked or erased from view. Opening sections explain the background of SVC before reviewing relevant secondary source literature. Themes explored include lack of recognition and historical factors. Relevant texts often bear misleading or ambiguous signifiers that perpetuate the confusion and lack of awareness that exists on the issue of male-directed SVC, and this issue is explored in a focus on the problem of language. The second half of the article considers the historical roots of SVC by Imperial Japanese forces and explores the practice of samesex relationships in Japanese samurai culture. The practice of nanshoku was driven underground into a libidinal economy that became characterized ever more acutely by misogyny and sexual aggression. A culture of impunity for perpetrators of sexual violence, whether female- or male- directed, during peacetime will be exacerbated during periods of conflict. This assertion is based on insights across a wide range of disciplines including health, law, security, masculinities studies, and historical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the course of debates over same-sex marriage, many scholars have proposed new legal definitions of sexual orientation to better account for the role of relationships in constituting identities. But these discussions have overlooked a large body of case law in which courts are already applying this model of sexual orientation, with inequitable results. This Article examines a set of fifteen years of sexual harassment decisions in which courts have endeavored to determine the sexual orientations of alleged harassers. Under federal law, sexual harassment is actionable because it is a subspecies of sex discrimination. A man who makes unwanted sexual advances toward a woman discriminates on the basis of sex, courts presume, because he would not have made sexual advances toward another man. In 1998, the Supreme Court ruled that the same presumption is available in a case of same-sex harassment, i.e., a man harassing a man, if there is "credible evidence that the harasser was homosexual." Since then, federal courts have decided 154 cases on whether a harasser was homosexual or experienced same-sex desire, often conflating the two questions. Empirical assessment of these cases raises questions about legal determinations of sexual orientation and sexual desire. First, it finds that courts rely on overly simplistic assumptions about sexual orientation that are contradicted by social science research. Surprisingly, in searching for evidence of same-sex desire, courts compare the harasser's behavior to an idealized vision of romantic courtship that resonates with the picture of same-sex intimacy drawn by advocates of gay marriage. Second, these judicial inquiries into desire reinforce biases in favor of heterosexuality. Courts interpret sexually charged interactions to be devoid of desire when the harasser is involved in a heterosexual marriage, while reading desire into far less suggestive scenarios when the harasser self-identifies as nonheterosexual. And third, the judicial preoccupation with desire distracts from the purpose of sexual harassment law: eliminating invidious sex discrimination. This study has implications for other legal doctrines that may require definitions of sexual orientation or inferences of desire. It suggests that a relationship model of sexual orientation may not be appropriate in all legal contexts, and it calls into question the project of devising any all-purpose legal definition of sexual orientation. It also argues that reformers should be wary of how inquiries into sexual desire may operate as distractions and reinforce conventional notions of sexuality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the learning from Major General Antonio Taguba's investigation on the pattern of abuse and degradation of Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad, Iraq. It strives on the role of female perpetrators in sexual abuse and humiliation with an intention to soften up detainees for interrogation. It further reveals that the International Humatarian Law is developing towards the involvement of female offenders both as victims and agent in armed conflicts.

Sexual harassment studies in insects suggest that females can incur several kinds of costs from male harassment and mating. Here, we examined direct and indirect costs of male harassment on components of female fitness in the predominantly monandrous mosquito Aedes aegypti. To disentangle the costs of harassment versus the costs of mating, we held females at a low or high density with males whose claspers were modified to prevent insemination and compared these to females held with normal males and to those held with females or alone. A reduced longevity was observed when females were held under high-density conditions with males or females, regardless if male claspers had been modified. There was no consistent effect of harassment on female fecundity. Net reproductive rate ( R) was higher in females held at low density with normal males compared to females held with males in the other treatments, even though only a small number of females showed direct evidence of remating. Indirect costs and benefits that were not due to harassment alone were observed. Daughters of females held with normal males at high density had reduced longevity compared to daughters from females held without conspecifics. However, their fitness ( R) was higher compared to females in all other treatments. Overall, our results indicate that A. aegypti females do not suffer a fitness cost from harassment of males when kept at moderate densities, and they suggest the potential for benefits obtained from ejaculate components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Men experience gender-role harassment when they are ridiculed or ostracized for being 'not man enough' (Berdahl ). Although men's emotional (e.g. shame and anxiety) and behavioural reactions (e.g. aggression) to gender-threatening feedback have been documented (Vandello et al. ), potential cognitive and self-regulatory consequences of this form of harassment have yet to be investigated. In the present experiment, 84 Introductory Psychology men at a Canadian university (Winnipeg, Manitoba) either experienced or did not experience gender-role harassment (i.e. told they squeezed a handgrip 'like a girl') before completing a set of tests (an anagram test, a stroop color-naming task, and a subsequent handgrip task). To ensure our experimental manipulation invoked a threat to participant's sense of manliness, we also included an open-ended measure of self-identification. In accordance with Social Identity research (Ellemers, Spears, & Doosje, ), we anticipated that harassed men would affirm male self-aspects significantly more so than non-harassed men. Overall, results demonstrated that, as predicted, gender-role harassment significantly threatened participant's sense of manhood, compromised cognitive ability, and weakened attentional self-control compared to the no harassment control condition. However, contrary to predictions, harassment did not weaken self-regulatory physical strength: men in the harassment condition exhibited increased handgrip strength compared to men in the no harassment condition, suggesting potential compensatory reactions occurred, as well. Implications of gender-role harassment for men's psychological well-being, intellect, and impulse control are discussed and areas for future research are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers the author's insights on rape of juvenile boys in prison and the amendment of the U.S. Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) of 2003. He mentions the standards proposed by the U.S. Department of Justice for implementing zero tolerance of prison rape. He notes that the proposed amendment include the provision of strict liability when boys experience sexual abuse and sexual harassment in a man's prison the appointment of a guardian ad litem for every boy prisoner.

Ideologies constrain and shape the sense that people make of sexual harassment experiences in the workplace. Victims, harassers, and witnesses are all influenced by the discourse that informs the decisions they make in relation to sexual harassment in the workplace. This research examined the implications of ideologies and discourses surrounding sexual harassment through interviews with four male professors from a large, southwestern U.S. university, who describe their experience as victims of sexual harassment. The men's accounts revealed shifts back and forth between several ideological positions as a way to make sense of their experiences, highlighting the impact of hegemonic masculinity, the complicated process of consent, and the contrast between the experiences of male and female victims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current investigation identified the gender-specific prevalence of sexual harassment and assault experienced during U.S. military service and the negative mental and physical health correlates of these experiences in a sample of former reservists. We surveyed a stratified random sample of 3,946 former reservists about their experiences during military service and their current health, including depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, somatic symptoms, and medical conditions. Prevalence estimates and confidence intervals of sexual harassment and assault were calculated. A series of logistic regressions identified associations with health symptoms and conditions. Both men and women had a substantial prevalence of military sexual harassment and assault. As expected, higher proportions of female reservists reported sexual harassment (60.0% vs 27.2% for males) and sexual assault (13.1% vs 1.6% for males). For both men and women, these experiences were associated with deleterious mental and physical health conditions, with sexual assault demonstrating stronger associations than other types of sexual harassment in most cases. This investigation is the first to document high instances of these experiences among reservists. These data provide further evidence that experiences of sexual harassment and assault during military service have significant implications for the healthcare needs of military veterans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Azmi Jubran was subjected to homophobic harassment throughout his high school experience. In 1996, he filed a human rights complaint against the Vancouver School Board alleging discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. His case was the first in Canada to deal with the issue of school responsibility for peer-to-peer harassment. It also makes a significant contribution to the jurisprudence in the realm of sexual orientation harassment and discrimination. This is because Jubran did not identify as homosexual. Using a critical feminist analysis, this paper analyses the decisions and opinions of the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal, Superior Court, and Court of Appeal regarding the relevance of sexual orientation identity and the recognition of harm in the case. Drucilla Cornell's concept of sexual shame, Gail Mason's linking of sexuality harassment to visibility and naming, and Judith Butler's discussion of the power of words to injure are discussed in relation to the case as to whether it would qualify as harassment under these conceptualizations. It is argued that while the precedent carries the possibility of eliminating homophobia in schools, there are significant concerns with the legalistic human rights mechanism that potentially undermine efforts to eliminate oppression and achieve social equality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Female-limited colour polymorphism occurs in many damselfly species, where one morph resembles the male (andromorph) and the other is dissimilar (gynomorph). Explanations for this phenomenon vary, but most assume that andromorphism has arisen in odonates, as a response to excessive male harassment. Here, we quantify the extent of continental and seasonal variation in female morph frequencies in a widely-distributed damselfly and ask whether the spatiotemporal patterns in andromorph frequency can be understood on the basis of sexual harassment theory. We sampled the damselfly, Nehalennia irene (Hagen) among regions across Canada, and at several sites, over the reproductive season, within Central Canada. Andromorph frequencies ranged from 0 to > 90% across Canada. In particular, sites in Western Canada had consistently high andromorph frequencies, whereas andromorph frequencies among Central sites were lower and variable and, among Eastern sites, were lower still (except one site) and relatively invariant. For populations in Central Canada, both andromorph frequencies and population densities varied significantly over time, reaching a peak mid-season. As expected, morph frequency covaried significantly with estimates of male harassment in some cases, but estimates of male harassment did not consistently account for variation in morph frequencies within all regions. Additional factors such as genetic drift may influence morph frequency at the edge of a species’ range. Future work also should test, and attempt to explain causation, for seasonal variation in morph frequency. © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2007, 90, 501–508. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1988, the United Methodist Church went on record in their opposition to sexual harassment. A study of sexual harassment in the denomination was mandated, and later updated in 2005. This paper discusses some of the findings of that update, focusing on the gender and the clergy/lay status of both perpetrators and victims. Based on 1800 surveys from leaders in the denomination, the study suggests that (1) rates of sexual harassment against women have remained fairly stable, but reports of sexual harassment against men have risen sharply, especially regarding the more ambiguous types of harassment, (2) most perpetrators against both women and men continue to be men, and (3) perpetrators are now found more among the laity than the clergy. Overall, the earlier concern about sexual misconduct by male clergy remains, but the added problem of sexually harassing laity warrants attention. In addition, more research is needed about same-sex sexual harassment (SSSH) in the context of a traditional institution like the church. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a campus climate assessment instrument developed by Rankin (1998), we surveyed students (N = 7,347) from 10 campuses to explore the different experiences with harassment and campus climates reported by men and women. Both men and women reported experiencing harassment, although women experienced harassment at statistically significantly higher rates than men. Women reported higher rates of sexual harassment, while men reported higher rates of harassment based upon sexuality. These findings are understood, and implications are provided, using a lens of power and privilege. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on sexual harassment at the workplace. Sexual harassment, a form of sexual discrimination, has long been an important and serious concern for employers in America. This is because allegations of sexually harassing behaviors in the workplace have more often subjected employers to lawsuits for their failure to exercise reasonable care to prevent such harassments from happening. The article informs that number of harassment charges filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and state fair-employment practice agencies has risen significantly in recent years. To overcome this, prudent employers have started training their managers and employees on preventing unlawful harassment or discrimination in the workplace.

Abstract: Objectives: To describe the urologic and sexual complications of male survivors of sexual torture, including prevalence, sequelae, diagnosis, and treatment. Methods: Through chart reviews, we identified all male survivors of torture who had been treated for physical and/or psychological symptoms due to sexual trauma at the Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights at Boston Medical Center between January 1, 2001 and January 1, 2002. Of the 72 men seen, 20 (28%) were survivors of sexual trauma. Our study focused on genital trauma leading to urologic and/or sexual dysfunction. Therefore, all cases of male genital trauma that had been referred to the urology department (3 of 20) were selected for this review. Results: The patients presented with chronic genital and erectile pain, lower urinary tract symptoms, and sexual dysfunction. The diagnostic workup included history, physical examination, and ultrasonography. Treatment included steroid injections for chronic pain and oral erectogenic agents for sexual dysfunction. Conclusions: The apparent prevalence and severity of the physical and mental sequelae to sexual trauma make it an important area for screening when treating survivors of torture. Our study is the first of its kind to document urologic complications of sexual torture in a foreign-born U.S. cohort of tortured men, including prevalence, diagnosis, and treatment. The proposed use of steroid injections in the clinical treatment of these patients has not been previously reported. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We manipulated the sexual orientation of the victim in a hypothetical case to address 3 key questions: Is it harassment, does the case need to be investigated further, and is the harasser's behavior punishable? Our sample comprised 433 undergraduates (91.5% of whom were White). We hypothesized that women would rate the case as more sexually harassing, as needing further investigation, and as more punishable than men would. We also hypothesized that the sexual orientation of the victim would affect perceptions of the case; specifically, students would significantly rate the incident as more harassing, as needing further investigation, and would recommend more punishment when the victim was homosexual rather than heterosexual. We hypothesized that female respondents would perceive more categories of inappropriate behaviors perpetrated by men on other men as Constituting sexual harassment than would male respondents. Furthermore, we hypothesized that lewd comments and enforcement of the traditional masculine gender role would predict responses to the 3 key questions asked about the case. With the exception of recommending greater punishment when the victim was homosexual rather than heterosexual , all hypotheses were supported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite larger numbers of women in medicine and strong statements against gender discrimination in written policies and the medical literature, sexual harassment persists in medical training. This study examines the everyday lives of women and men resident physicians to understand the context within which harassment unfolds. The narratives explored here reveal how attention is deflected from the problem of sexual harassment through a focus on women's 'sensitivity'. Women resist by refusing to name sexual harassment as problematic, and by defining sexual harassment as 'small stuff' in the context of a rigorous training program. Ultimately, both tactics of resistance fail. Closer examination of the relations shaping everyday actions is key, as is viewing the rigid hierarchy of authority and power in medical training through a gender lens. I conclude with a discussion of how reforms in medical education must tend to the gendered, everyday realities of women and men in training. KEYWORDS gender; hostile environment; medical training;physicians; sexual harassment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the issue of sexual harassment in the U.S. military. There are two different categories of harassment, which include quid pro quo demands associated with conditions of employment, and hostile environments. Earlier studies on sexual harassment assumed that only women experienced sexual harassment, however, harassment may vary depending on one's sex, race, position in the organization, and the environment. Three explanatory models have been used to understand workplace harassment.