Which federal statute declared sexual harassment illegal?

• A. USCA 1983
• B. 42 U.S.C. § 1985
• C. Official Oppression
• D. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act

Answer: (D)

Sexual harassment in the workplace is addressed by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This federal statute prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in employment and covers harassment that creates a hostile work environment or conditions employment on sexual favors (quid pro quo). It applies to most employers with 15 or more employees and is enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The other choices refer to different legal provisions: one is about remedies for rights violations by state actors, another about conspiracies to interfere with civil rights, and the last is not a federal statute governing this issue. So the statute that declares sexual harassment illegal is Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.