Dildo at Hoffenheim Team Meeting? This is What a Lawyer Says

For the presence of sexual harassment in the workplace, it also depends on whether the behavior was unwanted, inappropriate, or offensive to the affected persons, Kanzler explained. "But of course, the question also arises whether the affected persons would really answer this question truthfully (peer pressure, disadvantages, etc.). This requires protection concepts where clear communication paths are established. Where can I report such behavior? What happens with this report, etc.?" said Kanzler. In Austria, an athlete could contact the trust office vera*Sport.

"Dildo Has Clear Sexual Connotation"

"Behavior that can be assigned to the sexual sphere is to be interpreted broadly. It is in any case to be considered sexualized behavior, as a dildo has a clear sexual connotation. Sexual harassment in the workplace can take various forms (images, statements, physical). For example, posters of 'pin-ups' in the workplace are considered sexual harassment. Therefore, in my view, showing a dildo is the same," the lawyer explained.

The question the sports journalist asks: Why use sex toys to drive players of a German Bundesliga club to peak performance on the field? Ilzer explained in a press conference last week when asked about it, that it was purely about football-specific messages in which he used symbols. The keyword "manly strength" was allegedly associated with sex toys.

It also has a sexist component, Kanzler explained, "since the use of the dildo, a phallic symbol, for the ingredient 'manly strength' represents a gender-stereotypical attribution that serves an outdated and problematic image of men, which reduces masculinity to sexual potency. Furthermore, it is transphobic, as it overlooks that not every man has a penis (trans* men)."

Lawyer: "Problematic"

"In this context, I already find the choice of the ingredient 'manly strength' for a good game problematic, as other ingredients could have been selected, such as endurance, strength, perseverance, creativity. However, Ilzer chose manly strength, which is supposed to stand for sexual power, which in turn leads to athletic performance," said Kanzler, who is a board member at 100%Sport, the Austrian center for gender competence and SAFE SPORT. As a lawyer, he specializes in victim representation.

He personally cannot understand "how Mr. Ilzer can think that the repetition and thus the reinforcement of socially deeply rooted toxic stereotypes is a creative approach. There is nothing innovative about it. It is only overstepping boundaries concerning the people present." Does the use of a dildo and reference to manly strength imply that only sexually potent men can also perform on the football field? "That's how I would see it, yes. The question is also whether in the football context, perhaps even - heterosexually potent men - might resonate."

(APA/Red)

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