#HETOO - Men Who are Harassed Face Uphill Battle

by Cristina Mendonsa June 04, 2018

Hawaiian paradise was not so pleasant for a group of men who say they were harassed by a tour operator. 

Discovering Hidden Hawaii Tours, Inc., Hawaii Tours and Transporta­tion Inc. and Big Kahuna Luau, Inc. -- will pay $570,000 to settle a sexual harassment suit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The EEOC says the male president of Discovering Hidden Hawaii Tours was accused of sexually harassing male employees who were often forced to quit or retaliated against for reporting the harassment.

Male on male harassment is often a more difficult case for attorneys to prove. In an article about the actor Terry Crews's lawsuit against a Hollywood agent that groped him at a party, attorney Evan Gibbs said men often have a more difficult time proving they were harassed due to their gender. 

"There are generally three ways an employee can do so: (1) show that the harasser sexually desires the victim; (2) show that the harasser displayed hostility to the presence of all men in the workplace; or (3) show that the harasser’s conduct is motivated by a belief that the victim does not conform to gender stereotypes."

Crews says he hopes his story will encourage men to hold other men accountable for harassment. The agent accused of groping him at a party got a 30 day suspension from work and was re-instated. Crew's case is working its way through Los Angeles courts.