Betsy DeVos’s New Harassment Rules Protect Schools, Not Students

Institutions have been lobbying for less liability when it comes to sexual misconduct on campus. Now they’re finally getting it.

First, the rules significantly narrow what counts as sexual harassment. Under the Trump administration’s definition, harassment must be “so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access” to education. Some courts (though fortunately not all) have said that even a rape does not count under this standard because a one-time act of violence is not “pervasive.” That means a victim of rape (not to mention other less severe forms of sexual misconduct) might never see her school investigate her claims, let alone remedy them. read more »

Luc Besson Accused of Sexual Misconduct by 5 More Women

The claims are the latest following a rape complaint filed by Belgian-Dutch actress Sand Van Roy in May and accusations that he assaulted a casting director in the 2000s and sexually harassed an employee, which were revealed in July. It brings to nine the number of women who have accused the director of a variety of sexual crimes, ranging from rape to inappropriate behavior.

In similarities with the sexual harassment charges against Harvey Weinstein, Mediapart reported that Besson often asked for meetings in hotel rooms and said it had obtained a video of a hotel room casting of a 16-year-old girl in 2003. read more »