The story so far: For anyone hiding under a stone, a man made an offensive sexist comment to a female reporter who was covering a football match. As a result he has lost his job and been banned from the football club for one year.

His behaviour makes me embarrassed to be a member of the male sex. Not enough to be seeking gender reassignment surgery, but enough to wish I could make it clear that I have no wish to be associated in any way with the sort of person who feels it is OK or even funny to treat a woman in that way.

How do some men get on with their daughters, girlfriends, wives, mothers and grandmothers when they think its OK to say something like that to a random person who happens to  be female?

Some black people say that they are frequently stopped by the police for the offence of “driving while black”. It seems that some people think its OK to harass a person for “being female in public”.

How should a woman respond to a strange man saying he would like to “F… her right in the p….”? Perhaps, if she felt it was safe to do so, she should reply:” You want to f…. me right in my p….? Well, I would like to kick you right in your balls!“.

Is it fair for the man to lose his job over this? I do not think so. He was not at work, representing his employer in any way, or wearing work-related clothing. If his employer had not spoken out publicly, no-one would have known who he worked for. It would be fair and responsible for his employers to review his work record to see if his statements are reflected in the way he treats female co-workers, and to warn him that such attitudes are unacceptable at work. Sacking him for something he did in his own time is an abuse of power by his employer and does nothing to encourage the man to rethink his views about women (especially if he were dismissed by a female boss!).

What should the police response be? Under the Ontario Human Rights Code, sexual harassment is “engaging in a course of vexatious comment or conduct that is known or ought to be known to be unwelcome.” A single episode of abuse does not count as harassment. But surely he must be guilty of some sort of offence? This is important, because a court could specify a penalty that includes some remediation and education. He could be required to undergo some program which would educate him about how his behaviour makes women feel, and he could provide restitution by, for  example, working in a shelter for abused women.

Finally, what should the man involved do now? Here is a good guide to what he should do next.