There is a difference when the comments are sexual in nature. And certainly when there is physical harrassment or coercion that impacts a woman’s ability to continue or advance in her studies. I acknowledge that it is possible that a female prof could do this to a male student as well, or a gay prof could do it to someone if the same gender, although pretty clearly that is happening less often. But the point is really about using their position of power to advance their agenda for sexual gratification.
I heard an interview today with the Buzzfeed reporter who broke the Marcy story. She said she heard from many in the astronomy academic community that this is a very common issue, and not just with Marcy. Maybe more dominoes to fall… if I were a university president, I’d be thinking about how to get out in front of this.