Writing About Rape

Recently, my friend (and classmate Leslie's brother-in-law!) Dan Solomon wrote a blog for XOJane about his termination by CultureMap, an arts and entertainment site operating sites for Houston, Austin, and Dallas. The article, click here, is a fantastic account of Dan's side of the story and what happened when he called out the publication on his blog for victim blaming without evidence after rape charges were filed against a high school sports star in Dallas. I think Dan not only does a great job of acknowledging the privilege that allows him to not fear rape, but also addresses the privilege that allows him to comment on this incident without fear of being labeled a "bitch." Since the article came out and pretty much blew up on my Facebook feed, I've seen Dan acknowledge all the thanks and support by reminding people again that, if he were a women, the article would not have gone viral and his gender would have been assumed to be the primary reason for his objections.