How can you recognize sexual harassment & what can you do to stop it?

What language can you use to interrupt a harasser?

How can you start a conversation with a stranger in a respectful way?

We share strategies for being an ally, speaking up, and stopping harassment at the gym and beyond.

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Rough Transcript:

This is a computer-generated rough transcript, so please excuse any typos. This podcast is an informational conversation and is not a substitute for medical, health, or other professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the services of an appropriate professional should you have individual questions or concerns.

How to stop sexual harassment

Participant #1:

You're listening to the Sex with Dr. Jess podcast, sex and relationship advice you can use tonight. Welcome to the sex with Dr. Jess Podcast. I'm your cohost Brandon Ware, here with my lovely other half, Dr. Jess. Hey, today we've got a serious topic. We are talking sexual harassment. Let me ask you, what do you know about sexual harassment? I know that it happens all the time, every day, to every woman out there, everywhere we go, everywhere. So you can never let your guard down. So growing up, did you learn about sexual harassment? Was there anyone who taught you how to not sexually harass people? The basics where you're not I mean, my parents telling me to be respectful, but there was no kind of context. There was no examples, no role model behavior, no suggestions on what to do, what to say, how to stop it, anything like that. And I'm sure over the course of your lifetime, you've said and done things that were harassing. Yes, I have. So was it just when you think about being a kid or a teenager, was it normalized? And that's not to make an excuse. You're still responsible for your behavior, was it normalized? Yes, it was. In the environments that I'm reflecting back on, it was okay to speak about women in a misogynistic way.

Misogynist way? Yeah. I mean, these environments, it was encouraged, and no one stepped up. And I'm thinking a lot about group sports, hockey, some of my workplaces where it was primarily men, and just the way that it was constantly discussed and how no one really stepped up to say, this isn't okay. When you think about some of those male dominated workplaces, there were women there. Yes, there were. And so do you remember seeing incidents of harassment, or was it more just like a vibe you remember? Not the specifics. It's more a vibe. And the women worked at the so I'm talking about when I worked in warehouses when I was in high school and in university, and the women where I work tend to work at the front facing administrative coordinator roles. And the men worked in the warehouse, moving boxes and shipping trucks and doing things like that. So there was a separation of space, but in those maledominated spaces in the back, it was common to speak about women in a demeaning manner. When I reflect back on it, for sure, here's what I'm going to suggest. I'm going to suggest that the women who are in the front heard you. Yes, of course they did. And I should also kind of go on and just add to that. It's not just when I worked in warehouses and when I played hockey and when I played sports. It was most definitely in more corporate environments as well. Absolutely. Behind closed doors when women were out of earshot, or at least that's what they assumed. And in some cases, I'm sure, if I really think back. They weren't out of your shot. Like it was blatant.