No end to list of male transgressors

Women are finally speaking out against those who abused their positions to sexually harass

or the past two months, it seems as if every day brings new allegations against male media and movie personalities, with a growing number of women now prepared to speak out against their transgressors. The latest allegations are now being levelled against CBS news presenter Charlie Rose, who has been suspended by the channel after eight women came forward to accuse him of inappropriate behaviour, groping and lewd touching over a period of time between the early 1990s and 2011.

The list of men who now stand accused of sexual harassment is startling, and represents professionals who were at the top of their careers in front of and behind cameras on news channels, television shows, the theatre and in the boardrooms and movies. But it’s not just the media and entertainment sector that has been hit by these seedy and sordid claims. Personalities in positions of leadership in politics and in industry too have been now held accountable for their inappropriate texts, words, and touches.

Sadly, it seems as if we are all now faced with a reality that many successful men have only gotten to where they are by acting in sexually inappropriate ways — and once they have reached the top of their careers used that new-found power to subjugate and sexually harass female employees or others seeking employment or advancement. Given the widespread nature of the allegations, it certainly seems as if a generation of those we held in positions of respect or esteem were actually sexual predators who thought nothing of abusing their positions and authority to intimidate women and abuse them for their own sexual ends and fantasies.

This period of revelations commenced largely with the longstanding complaints against disgraced Fox broadcast personality Bill O’Reilly. And no sooner had he been removed by Fox, than word began to spread about the alleged monstrous activities of Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. He was rightly expelled from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences as many female actors added their testimonies to a growing list of women abused by the producer of some of Hollywood’s biggest movies.

Yes, there seems to be no end to those who now stand accused or who have been suspended for their inappropriate behaviour — and indeed there should be no let-up in the number of women who are now stepping forward. It has taken the actions of brave women to highlight this issue, and others draw strength from their speaking out. For too long such men have held power by abusing women so readily.