It’s no longer just a hashtag. It’s now a movement. #MeToo and its sister cause, Time’s Up, continue to draw attention to the persistent problem of sexual harassment, particularly against women, in just about every industry, from entertainment to the federal government. And aquatics certainly is not immune.
As celebrities take the red carpet during awards season donned in all black attire or adorned with white roses in honor of those who have been victimized, three recent headlines highlight the need for aquatics to protect itself against predatory behavior.
In Polson, Mont., a woman has accused her former employer of firing her after she complained about sexual harassment in the workplace. According to MTPR.org, the woman says that two of her supervisors at Mission Valley Aquatic Center repeatedly sexually harassed her at work, that upper management failed to address it, and that when she reported it, she was fired. During a three-day hearing at the Montana Human Rights Bureau, the alleged victim requested that the Aquatic Center be held accountable for sex discrimination and retaliation in employment. Mission Valley Aquatic Center has denied the allegations. A ruling on the case could take between two and three months.
Meanwhile, in Burbank, Calif. four women are suing the city for allegedly making them change in a shared room, which provided a male city employee opportunity to videotape the girls while they were undressing. According to NBCLosAngeles.com, Arturo Ponce Montano spent months secretly recording the girls, two of whom were minors at the time, and that he then shared the images with others. The lawsuit also claims that supervisors had received a number of complaints about Montano but did nothing about them. The news outlet also reports that after the women filed their, their work hours were reduced.
A lifeguard in Milwaukee, Wisc., also has been accused of photographing his co-worker, but this time the incident took place in the shower, according to TMJ4.com. The criminal complaint notes that 23-year-old Jared Weber took at least four photos of a nude female worker and has had the photos on his personal computer for three years, only to be discovered by his now ex-girlfriend and reported to authorities.
