【Arouse (2025)】

The Arouse (2025)Harvey Weinsteins of the world aren't always household names. Frequently, in fact, they're nothing of the sort.

So it is with James Toback, a longtime (and relatively obscure) filmmaker who is now facing allegations of sexual harassment leveled by 38 different women, as a Los Angeles Timesinvestigation reveals. And much like Weinstein, Toback's deplorable behavior has been an open secret for decades.

He was the subject of an extensive feature in a 1989 issue Spy Magazine, which chronicled firsthand accounts from an assortment of (anonymous) women. More recently, his bad behavior was highlighted in four different Gawkerstories, published between 2008 and 2012.

Now there's this LA Timesfeature, in which 31 of the 38 women interviewed opted to speak on the record. It's a long and detailed read, filled with account after account of Toback's vile behavior over the years.

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It's not an easy story to read, and it's not supposed to be. But men especially should set aside the time to take in every word. We can all do better to shut down the gender inequality that's an inescapable aspect of our day-to-day lives, and processing ugly stories like this is an important step in that process.

If there's any silver lining to draw from the Weinstein mess, it's that victims of sexual predators are increasingly finding the courage to come forward and name names. Toback is only the latest figure to be outed in a domino-like series of them that spans multiple industries and fields of work.

It's a sad truth that so many of these stories go back as far as they do -- especially with guys like Toback and Weinstein, where it's literally decades -- but the one-after-another fall that's currently playing out all around us is a hopeful sign for a looming change that actually sticks.

We see you now, James Toback. Who will be next?