I guess my point of reference is my own experience. I worked in hotel and restaurant kitchens for years. I remember one chef in Newport Beach, CA who rode me all the time about being openly gay. This was in the early '70's. I had a very attractive partner who use to drop me off and pick me up at work and the chef used to torment him, too. It was a theme restaurant and all the wait help wore costumes, some quite revealing. They were all hired largely on their looks. When one ventured into the kitchen the chef never failed to make some sexual innuendo about them. If she were female he would draw my attention to her and say something like, "You'd rather have a guy than that?" to the embarrassment of both of us. Most of the waiters actually were gay. I knew them from the bar scene. But they thought they had a big secret and the chef had no way of knowing. He assumed they were straight but that didn't stop him from yelling across the kitchen, "Gary! Is that your type?" I would call it a hostile work environment before anybody talked about such things. It became so intolerable I left giving up my chances to enter the chain's management program. I honestly couldn't tell you his name if my life depended on it now. But if i knew it would i go back 40-50 years and launch a federal case? No. It's water under the bridge. I wasn't raped but, to me, it was almost as bad. At some point you have to suck it up and move on. That's what I think most of these women should do.

Many of these decades old stories were already known. The victims were either ignored or coerced into silence. Those that didn't come forward were either too ashamed or saw what was happening to the others who did come forward and thought it wasn't worth it. What is happening right now is a historical and cultural moment. It is a redefinition of what is acceptable and what is not. Because of this moment women and men feel safe enough to come forward. We have had moments like this before with regards to race, sex, sexuality etc. It really feels like a cultural dam that has been holding all this back has breached and these incidents of 20, 30, 40 years ago have finally been allowed to come forth.

And, given the evangelical Christians embrace of Trump and Roy Moore, it may well diminish the stature of fandamentalistic Christianity, as well. That would be great for our democracy!!

Wolrdlywalt, I think you're on the wrong comment, haha.