the OP was not provided with a hostile work environment because the poster did not work for the TSA
Hmmm.... hiltonhead, there is a connection. I think my wife was more slandered that sexually harrassed. But either way, the TSA should no better.
From a
Federal Commission on Human Rights Even though it says MO in it, it's Federal, so it's not a "state" issue.
There is one other type of sexual harassment. It's called gender-based harassment. It does not involve explicit sexual behavior. It may include epithets, slurs and negative stereotyping of men or women, directed at a female or male employee. It could include denigrating or hostile written material about the employee posted or circulated in the workplace. "Dumb blonde" jokes and male bashing jokes could be examples of gender-based harassment. Harassment due to gender is similar to harassment due to race. If it is severe and/or pervasive enough to create an abusive working environment, then it can violate the law.
It doesn't have to be directed at an individual. It may not have been heard by anyone but myself and the other employee who "laughed" but any other screener who heard this may be tired of this employee's actions. The other screener may not have heard it, but knows that the employee is doing it.
Either way, it should be reviewed. Thus my letter.
I'm not going to do anything about it beyond that. I don't know if he's only done it once, or 100 times.
I think the Screener was uncouth, and ... oh well. I'm back in Austin, and he's still in NYC. But based on his actions, I think the TSA haven't trained their employees that "blonde jokes" are a form of sexual harrassment.
I'm quite confident that had a done a "dumb blonde" joke against a screener or a LEO, that I would have been held or detained.