Commentary: I publicly accused Dustin Hoffman of harassment. Take it from me, it's not easy to expose sexual misconduct

A friend called me recently, anxious. Like many men, he was scared he might get caught in the net of sexual harassment accusations. "Anyone with a grudge could make up a story about me and get me fired," he said. "Is that OK with you, if innocent men lose their jobs and careers?"

I took a breath, hoping to offer a measured response. Instead, I snapped: "If you had any idea how hard it is to get these stories published, you wouldn't be worried about your career."

Since early November, when I published a personal essay alleging that Dustin Hoffman sexually harassed me, I'd been trying