The tables turned abruptly this year, and sex became sobering front-page business as accounts of office intimidation, sexual assignations, sodomy, and even rape felled in swift succession titans of entertainment, politics, journalism, and business. By one count accusations of sexual misconduct hit 36 men in high-powered positions during the six weeks following the October downfall of Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. 

Apparently sex isn’t for kicks anymore. From the halls of East Coast academic institutions to the malls of mid-America and the West Coast backlots, for decades now sex for sport has been taught, modeled, and marketed. Serial sex partners; sex outside of marriage; sex as an initiation rite onscreen, on campus, and to get ahead seemed a norm we could live with. The sexually pure became oddballs and losers. When comedian Louis C.K.’s show Louie featured the character Ellen Farber, a Christian virgin, it was all for laughs. And audiences did.

Then the tables turned abruptly this year, and sex became sobering front-page business as accounts of office intimidation, sexual assignations, sodomy, and even rape felled in swift succession titans of entertainment, politics, journalism, and business.

By one count accusations of sexual misconduct hit 36 men in high-powered positions during the six weeks following the October downfall of Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. Like Weinstein, many of them took swift leaves of absence or faced suspension or outright firing. In Los Angeles, New York, Scotland Yard, and elsewhere, authorities launched criminal investigations into the most egregious cases.

Sexual harassment or assault claims extend beyond elite circles. Within 24 hours of a #metoo post by a young mom on Twitter, 53,000 people made Facebook and Twitter entries under that hashtag noting their own experiences of harassment or worse. Hiding behind the glamour of sexual freedom, it appears, lurks a pathological bent toward using it to intimidate—often with steady blows to the conscience, sometimes with outright violence.

Also quickly apparent: Sexual misconduct behind closed doors has a steep public price. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., agreed to resign his seat under pressure, while three Republican members of the House and longtime Democratic lawmaker John Conyers resigned over allegations, depriving constituents of representation.

Reports of misconduct in state legislatures also sprang up. In Kentucky, state House Speaker Jeff Hoover stepped down over a sexual harassment settlement with a female member of his staff. In Massachusetts, Senate President Stanley Rosenberg took a leave of absence after four men accused his same-sex spouse, Bryon Hefner, of groping or kissing them while bragging of his access to power. In Ohio, freshman lawmaker Wes Goodman, cheered as a millennial face for family-values voters, resigned after acknowledging inappropriate behavior, allegedly soliciting sex from men. In both California and Illinois, hundreds of women signed complaints detailing legislative cultures where inappropriate behavior was commonplace.

Taxpayers paid directly too. The congressional Office of Compliance paid $84,000 to settle one sexual harassment complaint against Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas.

Outside Washington, the sudden disgrace of Weinstein, House of Cards star Kevin Spacey, and comedian Louis C.K. has put hundreds of people out of work in the entertainment industry. Today show host Matt Lauer’s abrupt exit from NBC jeopardized the network’s $500 million in revenue generated from the program.

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