Harassment claims deserve honesty

“It doesn’t show signs of stopping.”

Lyrics to “Let It Snow,” but also the perfect descriptor for the ongoing sexual harassment saga that has profoundly touched America. In the age of social media and 24/7 news, most dramas have a lifespan of several days before attention shifts to the next story. Not so here. Huge heads have rolled, from Harvey Weinstein to Matt Lauer to Al Franken. And if anything, the trend is accelerating.

The latest to find himself on the firing line is state Sen. Daylin Leach, an outspoken, humorous, fiercely liberal, self-proclaimed champion of “women’s rights” — whatever that means.

The senator stands accused of racy language and inappropriate touching. Despite calls to resign, Leach, in his firebrand style, went on the offensive, releasing a statement defending himself. At first look, Leach seems believable, openly stating “my humor is no more racy than the average person’s, but to be clear, it’s not pure, either.” He added that his jokes and colorful language were met with laughter, and were even reciprocated by one of his accusers — a woman who is now claiming she was offended ten years ago, yet, according to Leach, continued to work for him, donate to his campaigns and banter with bawdy language in the years since.

Leach also stated that in the instances where he is accused of inappropriate contact, both occurred in rooms full of people and cameras. He admitted that his gregarious style sometimes made him grasp a forearm or pat a back, but denied inappropriate touching.

So did he, or didn’t he? And what’s a senator to do? There are no easy answers. First things first. Politicians, such as Gov. Tom Wolf, should not be calling on elected officials to resign in the wake of allegations, for two critically important reasons: A) It is not their place. Sure, such baggage hurts their party, but politics should be irrelevant. And B), what ever happened to “due process?” Since when are Americans guilty before being proven innocent? That’s not how it’s supposed to work.

Should a leash be put on Leach? Should he resign? Based on what we know, no. For now, let’s assume his statement to be true. Admittedly, that’s a big “if,” because often when an accused denies accusations outright, or says, “it was only once,” the flood gates open. However, if it turns out that his only “crimes” are overly using his hands in animated conversation (which would damn all Italians, too), and engaging in racy language, then he should weather the storm since he would be “guilty” of the exact same thing everyone else has done at some point in their lives.

Similarly, national talk show host Tavis Smiley gave a compelling interview on accusations against him. He was furious that NPR did not inform him of the accusations, and subsequent investigation.

He has vehemently denied all accusations, explaining that some employees were likely offended because he ran a tight ship in a demanding environment. Since the truth is not known in many cases, the McCarthyism — where the accused are swiftly pronounced guilty, and accusers are believed without question — must stop. Those accused deserve their “day in court,” lest our society become so totalitarian that mere accusations become weapons to fulfill political, business and personal agendas, irrelevant of truth.

There was a furious backlash on social media against actor Matt Damon who, in a recent interview, stated, “I do believe that there’s a spectrum of behavior … there’s a difference between patting someone on the butt and rape or child molestation, right? Both of those behaviors need to be confronted and eradicated without question, but they shouldn’t be conflated, right?”

What’s wrong with that? Why so much vitriol? He wasn’t excusing any form of harassment, but correctly stating that there are varying degrees. He’s right — touching a woman’s behind 15 years ago is not equivalent to assault or rape!

Too many in Hollywood were inexcusably late in using their platforms to expose Weinstein, et al. That aside, the only way to truly tackle sexual harassment is to talk about it honestly and civilly.

But if we allow the social media megaphone to drown out and demonize those with differing ideas, whether because of intolerance, ignorance or ulterior motivation, then nothing will be accomplished.

And that would be the biggest tragedy of all.