Do laws prohibiting sexual harassment apply to gay people?
Absolutely. Connecticuts anti-discrimination law prohibits sexual harassment. This means that an employer may not condition any employment decisions on an employees submission to unwelcome sexual advances or requests for sexual favors. Nor may an employer permit or condone conduct that creates a hostile or offensive working environment. The language of the state law and recent guidance from the Supreme Court in construing federal anti-discrimination law suggests that state prohibitions on sexual harassment apply equally to gay and non-gay employees. This means that prohibitions on sexual harassment pertain to men who harass men (whether gay or non-gay) as well as to women who harass women (whether gay or non-gay). As stated above, Connecticut courts have typically been guided by the federal courts interpretation of anti-discrimination law. Assuming this trend continues, recent decisions of the Supreme Court suggest an employer is strictly liable for sexual harassment by a supervisor wh
