I was recently made aware of a situation from my home town of Dallas in which a girl accused a boy of raping her after a Ghostland Observatory concert in his car. The situation was commented on by a news outlet called CultureMap Dallas which is also affiliated with CultureMap Austin and Houston. I was made aware of it by my brother-in-law Dan Solomon because he is a free lance writer and journalist who has worked with Culture Map frequently and recommended me for a photo internship there.
The commentary in question was from a female writer/editor Claire St. Amant and involved questioning the legitimacy of the girls claim based on vague ideas that kids mess up, lie and act out as a part of life. She then explores who the real victim is if she is lying, the accused boy who also happens to be the son of the owner of a large restaurant called Eazti's in Dallas.
Dan reacted to this unfounded speculation in his article: "It Happened to Me: I Lost A Job For Calling Out the Company's Rape Apology"
This article not only makes me want to give a big triumphant middle finger to victim blamers everywhere, it's explosion online (on Front Page of Reddit's TwoXChromosomes) has given me hope that there are journalist willing to lose work over speaking out against the media's rape culture today.
Why is it still a logical response to a rape allegation to brush it off as an irresponsible girl trying to get out of trouble? What will it take for more people to ask why we question her honesty before his integrity?
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