Another leader in the arts community has been fired without sufficient explanation from his employer. The Dallas Theater Center let its director of new play development, Lee Trull, go Monday, citing a complaint—not complaints, a complaint—of “inappropriate behavior.” Later in the statement, the word “harassment” is used. Never the word “sexual.”

Theater Jones just released detailed allegations by Trull’s colleagues and other young women he apparently abused his power to access. The stories are awful. “Inappropriate behavior” is nothing compared to what these women describe: forced sexual contact, repeated abuse of power and manipulation of young women placed in his charge, the sending of sexually explicit images, overt propositioning. This man worked with minors at Booker T Washington, with undergrads at SMU. He used his influence and standing to corner the likes of standout playwright Claire Carson, who speaks out bravely on record in the TJ piece.

At least one of the women did not report forced sexual contact to DTC. With the institutional attitudes revealed in the statement, I wonder why.

That story, released a day after Trull’s firing, follows the Dallas Museum of Art’s use of “inappropriate behavior” in describing the allegations that brought about curator Gavin Delahunty’s firing. More on that—and a curiously congruent anonymous story released by ArtNews days before his termination—here.

Let’s talk about words. They’re all we get from institutions in situations like these, when there’s no police report and the subject matter is apparently sensitive. Who is being protected, though—the person who acted, or the person who was acted upon—is to be debated.

The most recent national incident involving a public figure’s termination without a police report was disgraced figurehead Matt Lauer’s firing from NBC. The network used the phrase “inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace” in prefacing what Variety and other publications were able to detail in stories being reported as NBC made that decision. Yes, it’s up to the victims as to whether they tell their stories. No, it’s not OK to omit the word “sexual” from the soundbite in representing an organization that benefited greatly from the women they are gaslighting, as these bosses instead protect the abusers, even as they fire them.

Leaders. Gatekeepers. Please use your words. Open the door for these conversations. Don’t leave it to the victims to explain, to decide between their own safety and the health of the organization. That’s your job.

Editor’s note: this post was altered after it was published. Here’s an explanation.

UPDATE, Friday at 1:20 p.m.:

Please note this official, board-approved statement from Cara Mía Theater Company, whose executive artistic director David Lozano worked closely with Lee Trull. They co-wrote a play called Deferred Action which saw its world premiere at DTC last year before visiting the Latino Cultural Center, SMU, and UNT. The Cara Mía production traveled also to Houston and Los Angeles.