By Jean Godden

Twenty-eight years ago, the Seattle Times reported a shocking story. Kari Tupper, a former congressional aide, the daughter of a prominent Seattle family, was accusing Brock Adams, this state's popular Democratic senator, of drugging and molesting her. Adams denied Tupper's accusations. 

Once Tupper went public, phone calls poured into the Times. They came from women who alleged that Senator Adams had done something similar to them. However, most of the callers refused to make their names known. All were hesitant; some were tearful. They said it would "destroy" them to make incidents of sexual harassment and assault known.

After the Times' three-and-a-half-year investigation, eight of the women finally agreed to sign statements. They stated their accounts were truthful. They agreed that, should Sen. Adams sue the newspaper, they would make their names public and would testify in court. 

The Times published the story of the eight accusers March 1, 1992. It was just prior to the senator seeking a second term. Subsequently, Adams announced that he would not run for reelection. His lawyer had once threatened a lawsuit; but Adams did not sue.

At the same time -- it was 1992, "the year of the woman" -- there were accusations against other powerful men.  One was Oregon Sen. Robert Packwood, a maverick Republican who had championed women's causes, advocated for abortion rights, fought for environmental protections and backed tax reform. Packwood was accused of unwanted sexual advances first by ten, later by 19 women. 

Three years later, the Senate Ethics Committee, chaired by Sen. Mitch McConnell, held closed hearings to investigate the accusations. The committee indicted Packwood for "a pattern of blatant aggressive sexual advances mostly directed at members of his own staff and others with livelihoods connected in some way to his power and authority as a senator." Packwood resigned his 27-year career Sept. 7, 1995.

That was a generation ago. Today we are faced with scandalous accusations of sexual misbehavior, mostly by men in powerful positions. Hearing stories about Movie Mogul Harvey Weinstein and dozens of others predators -- up to and including Donald Trump, now the nation's president -- has been devastating.

It seemed as if this sickening type of behavior, this gross abuse of power, would have lessened, if not ended years ago.  But the list of the accused is lengthy and growing. Sexual harassment rampages throughout movie and television industries, publishing, fashion, politics, sports, restaurants and academia. It has even invaded technology startups. 

After the Weinstein revelations, I started a list of those accused of misdeeds. It is now longer than my reporter's pad. The accused are mainly men who opportunistically prey upon the women whose careers they can either advance or impede. 

Has anything changed in the last quarter century? Have we learned nothing? Bad behavior certainly hasn't altered much. If anything, misdeeds seem to have grown more outrageous. 

If there is any hope for change, it may be that today there is a #Me-Too movement. Women appear more willing to tell stories of sexual abuses. Some may have been silenced in return for monetary settlements, but many more have spoken out, warning others of possible harassment. 

The trend toward transparency speaks well for the bravery of those assaulted, especially since they are often re-victimized in the telling. The #Me-Too movement helps women know they are not alone. It helps us assure women that, if they speak out, they will be believed and not "destroyed." 

A better answer would be to demand more women in gatekeeper positions. Where there is a mostly male hierarchy, there tends to be more misogyny and sexual abuse. In such workplaces, anti-harassment training is an essential adjunct. 

Years ago, soon after the Seattle Times worked to document a senator's misbehavior, the company required that all its employees take anti-harassment training. That training -- updated -- is something that would not be amiss in any workplace or school setting today. It ought to be a first step. If we persist and care enough, attitudes can be changed.