What is Sexual Misconduct?
Sexual misconduct is considered a sexual act or contact of a sexual nature that occurs, regardless of personal relationship, without the consent of the other person(s), or that occurs when the person(s) is unable to give consent or whose consent is coerced or obtained in a fraudulent manner. Sexual misconduct includes, but is not limited to, sexual assault, sexual abuse, violence of a sexual nature, sexual harassment, non-consensual sexual intercourse, sexual exploitation, video voyeurism, contact of a sexual nature with an object, or the obtaining, posting or disclosure of intimate descriptions, photos, or videos without the express consent of the persons depicted therein, as well as dating violence, domestic violence and stalking. Some examples of misconduct include:
- Pressure for a date or a romantic or intimate relationship;
- Unwelcomed touching, kissing, hugging, or massaging;
- Pressure for or forced sexual activity;
- Unnecessary and unwelcomed references to various parts of the body;
- Belittling remarks about a person's gender or belittling remarks about a person's sexual orientation based in gender-stereotyping;
- Inappropriate sexual innuendoes or humor;
- Videotaping and photographing someone or people without consent;
- Obscene gestures of a sexual or gender-based nature;
- Offensive sexual graffiti, pictures, or posters;
- Sexually explicit profanity; and/or
- Use of e-mail, the Internet, or other forms of digital media to facilitate any of the above referenced behaviors.