Introduction
Introduction
Bullying Masculinities
The Introduction tells the story of Jonathan Martin, a young, black, professional football player on the Miami Dolphins who checked himself into a mental health institution because of his teammates’ verbal harassment. An older, white player, Richie Incognito, led the harassment that had clear racial and class tinges. But the media missed that the harassment was gender-based because masculine practices, especially in all-male workplaces, are normalized and invisible. The harassing behavior occurred in large part because of Martin’s failure to live up to the image of a tough, masculine, football star. Groups of men in all-male workplaces, the chapter observes, harass men like Martin who they see as weak, in order to police the boundaries of masculinity and assure their own masculine reputations. The chapter notes that the behavior met the proof requirements of an illegal hostile work environment under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and argues that expert testimony on masculinities theory can help judges and juries understand the hidden masculine behaviors and structures that result in illegal discrimination.
Keywords: all-male workplaces, black, football, gender-based, hostile work environment, invisible, Jonathan Martin, masculinities theory, Richie Incognito, Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act
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