The “Harvey Effect” hit with full force this week, as a string of high-powered men were accused of sexual harassment in the wake of the Weinstein revelations. After the Los Angeles Times reported that the writer/director James Toback had harassed 38 women, hundreds of other women stepped forward with similar claims. Two leading journalists – political journalist Mark Halperin and the New Republic’s former literary editor, Leon Wieseltier (above) – have been accused by multiple women of inappropriate behavior.
A months-long investigation by the New Orleans Times-Picayune found widespread sexual harassment at the restaurant group co-owned by celebrity chef John Besh. Former President George H.W. Bush, who is 93 and in a wheelchair, apologized for touching the behinds of at least two women during photo shoots.
Female lawmakers in several states have accused male colleagues of inappropriate touching or requesting sex for political support. Many other women have posted their stories of sexual abuse on the hashtag #metoo. Sen. Elizabeth Warren's, however, met with skepticism. Her description of a frightening encounter with a colleague in the late 1970s – who, she said, lunged at her and chased her around his office – seemed at odds with the description of the episode she gave while speaking at the man’s 1997 funeral service. And by the fact he had polio.
