Samir Chowhan exemplifies the ideals of diversity. Not only his name indicates that he’s not one of those boring white Anglo-Saxon Protestant attorneys that every law school says we have too many of. His specialty is—or was—immigration law: helping aliens get into our country and stay here. So what’s not to like?

It seems Mr. Chowhan, despite his legal training, saw nothing wrong with openly demanding that anyone wishing to work for him as a secretary would have to provide sexual favors as well.

When he first posted an ad for a secretary on Craigslist, he asked not only for a resume, but also photos and “a description of your physical features, including measurements.”

One woman answered the ad. Mr. Chowhan emailed back that in addition to doing legal and secretarial work, his new employee “would be required to have sexual interaction with me and my partner, sometimes together sometimes separate.”

One would think that no one even remotely aware of American law (much less a lawyer) would fail to comprehend that expecting an employee to provide sexual favors is kinda, sorta, just a little bit, well, illegal. But who are we to judge. After all, we must be sensitive to a diverse range of cultures, and maybe in Mr. Chowhan’s, what he did is perfectly okay.

In any event, the prosecution of Mr. Chowhan will provide white liberals with something of a dilemma. Going after a non-white lawyer who champions immigration smacks of racism; but allowing behavior such as his deeply offends feminist sensibilities. Tough, tough choice!

This entry [Permalink] was posted on Friday, October 23rd, 2009 at 3:33 pm.
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