The breadth and depth of alleged sexually harassing behavior by state Rep. Jeremy Durham should never be tolerated again in or away from the halls of the state capitol in Nashville.
A recently released, 48-page attorney general's report details activities by the Franklin lawmaker that go back as far as 2012 and covers many instances in which a victim told someone else about Durham's repugnant behavior, but the information went no further. It also cites events in which victims were afraid for their jobs or their ability to work with legislators if they did not keep the harassment to themselves.
One alleged incident like this should be cause for concern and should have prompted active listening, questioning and cross-checking. A volume of such material should tell the former House majority whip it's time to step down.
It also should wake up all legislators - Republicans and Democrats, men and women - to work together to ensure this type of nightmare is not repeated.
The attorney general's report mentions that some victims didn't know where to turn for help. Before legislators convene again in January, every lawmaker, every staffer and every person who regularly does business with the General Assembly should be apprised of where they can turn for help in a similar situation. They should be able to tell someone in a more senior position with whom they work, but they also should be able to report an incident to a neutral ombudsman who would investigate their claims.
Further, the report contains anecdotes of one lobbyist saying "enduring a legislator's sexual advances is merely part of a female lobbyist's job," of another saying she "has to take this" and of a third saying "she should just keep quiet."
Is this still the caveman age?
It's one thing to be friendly, open and frank with someone lobbying you for your vote; it's another to cross the line, something the married Durham apparently did on many occasions, according to the report, and with the frequent accompaniment of alcoholic beverages.
And not surprisingly for a serial harasser, when confronted in 2015 with his behavior by Director of Legislative Administration Connie Ridley, the Republican lawmaker - with no complaints filed against him - said he didn't know to what she was referencing.
Durham, sadly, is not a lone wolf. The husband of the Democrat running for the White House, among others, is his behavior kin. And, unfortunately, there are many people in Durham's position who are falsely accused. But the litany of corroborated reports about Durham in the attorney general's report implicate him. Now, he has a duty to his constituents to step down, and the legislature has a duty to make sure an episode like his is never repeated.