Is there any woman in America who does not claim to have been raped by Bill Cosby? The latest, the fourteenth, is a music industry figure named Joan Tarshis, whose accusations are extremely detailed and specific. Excerpt:

“It took me about 20 years to admit this to anyone. My girlfriend, who was a cartoonist, told me she had heard rumors about Cosby, and believed them. She always thought where there’s smoke there’s fire.

“But during those years as I grew into adulthood, I watched Cosby be praised by everyone from Presidents to Oprah to the Jello Corporation. It all made me ill, knowing first-hand there was something unbalanced about him. I had heard and/or strongly suspected I was not the only white girl he had drugged and raped but I never had any proof. No one began talking until 2004. And though I knew I should say something, I still felt ashamed. Ashamed that I didn’t earlier.

“In any event now, as more and more of his rape victims have come forward, all telling similar stories, the time is right to join them.”

Barbara Bowman, another alleged Cosby victim, wrote about her experiences in the Washington Post. I had never heard these accusations made against Cosby, but Bowman says they’ve been out there in the public for some time now; nobody has paid much attention. Bowman:

While I am grateful for the new attention to Cosby’s crimes, I must ask my own questions: Why wasn’t I believed? Why didn’t I get the same reaction of shock and revulsion when I originally reported it? Why was I, a victim of sexual assault, further wronged by victim blaming when I came forward? The women victimized by Bill Cosby have been talking about his crimes for more than a decade. Why didn’t our stories go viral?

Unfortunately, our experience isn’t unique. The entertainment world is rife with famous men who use their power to victimize and then silence young women who look up to them. Even when their victims speak out, the industry and the public turn blind eyes; these men’s celebrity, careers, and public adulation continue to thrive. Even now, Cosby has a new comedy special coming out on Netflix and NBC is set to give him a new sitcom.

She says she’s not asking for money from Cosby, nor is she seeking criminal charges (the statute of limitations has expired). She simply believes he is not entitled to his reputation as a lovable, grandfatherly figure. If her allegations — and those of all these other women — are true, then they are right. Over the weekend, NPR’s Scott Simon asked Cosby about the accusations, but he refused to answer.

Bowman makes a very good point about how celebrity rapists and sex offenders often rely on a network of employees to facilitate their predation. She alleges that Cosby certainly did in her case. I think it would be a great thing if women and men who have been raped (yes, there are men) by the rich and powerful in Hollywood would come forward and tell what they know. Every scumbag in the entertainment industry contemplating assaulting someone ought to live in fear that his victim will tell everything.