During Spring Semester of last year, I needed extra money. Thankfully, Ohio University is fairly good about hiring students and I was employed at a dining hall through Culinary Services. I remember the extensive online orientation about safety measures and timeliness expectations. What was missing from the modules was any mention of sexual harassment policies. As a rape survivor, I am deeply perplexed that there was no training module on sexual harassment. More specifically, it did not discuss how students should navigate work relationships with other students in a respectful way that still allows for the familiarity that makes washing dishes for hours at a time bearable.
I am an out-and-proud lesbian and I have no problem discussing my orientation if people are genuinely curious. However, I do demand respect and I have the right to not be harassed for my sexual identity. One coworker repeatedly told me that I was too pretty to be a lesbian, that if I had had sexual encounters with men, they must have been lacking for me to turn my interest toward members of the same sex. He asked if I would be interested in a threesome and after I told him no, he proclaimed me bicurious and simply going through a phase. As infuriated as I was by his comments, I do not think he came from a place of malice. This young man was ignorant and genuinely believed he was paying me a compliment. I may be naïve, but I truly believe that he would not have been so disrespectful if he had been better educated on the subject of sexual harassment and how it can particularly hurt LGBT people.
I am a femme — I consciously perform my gender in a feminine way. On one level, I am intentionally subverting heteronormativity, but on another, more important level, I am doing what makes me happy. It is important for straight and queer people to recognize that people of all orientations come in non-stereotypical packaging. I do not like women any less because I wear sundresses and have long hair. That woman with short hair and basketball shorts could just as easily be straight or bisexual or asexual as she could be gay.
Sexual harassment and workplace discrimination is a pervasive problem for queer people. My experience is not unique. More inclusive education on how sexual harassment impacts LGBT people is important. According to the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy, between 15 and 43 percent of LGBT people experience discrimination and harassment in the workplace. As a place of learning, OU has a responsibility to better educate its students on how to respectfully connect with other students in a workplace setting.
Allie Dyer is a senior studying political science and serves as OU’s Honors Tutorial College student senator.
