Don't blame victims; tell rapists to knock it off
Okay, the idea that a bill requiring school uniforms to prevent kids walking around in loose pants will help create jobs seems pretty fucking laughable to me, but hey, there are people who buy into the idea that uniformity and dress codes increase performance. They may even be right.
But the second to last paragraph in the article needs to be called out. A representative by the name of Kathleen Passidomo-a person devoid of empathy if her statements here are to be believed-tied the need for this bill to the case of an 11-year-old girl in Texas who was gang-raped by 18 men. Rep. Passidomo says that the bill will prevent kids from getting raped for dressing like '21-year-old prostitutes' and prevent parents from tacitly supporting rape by letting their kids dress 'that way.'
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the rape had a hell of a lot more to do with male entitlement than how the girl was dressed, because well, men who don't feel entitled to sex don't rape women no matter how they're dressed. And I just don't see how you get from 'kids wear baggy pants' to 'an 11-year-old got raped by 18 people because she dressed like a slut.' Nope, an 11-year-old got raped because 18 people suspended their humanity long enough to do something heinous and horrific, and how she was dressed is at most a side issue, and really not even that.
And now Rep. Passidomo suspended her humanity long enough to blame a preteen for getting raped. I can only hope that the men involved all go to jail for a very long time and that the victim (note word "victim"-i.e., the person who didn't do anything to deserve what happened) is able someday to find some sort of healing. And maybe someday Rep. Passidomo will realize what a horrible thing she said and why it's so reprehensible. But I'm not holding my breath.
But the second to last paragraph in the article needs to be called out. A representative by the name of Kathleen Passidomo-a person devoid of empathy if her statements here are to be believed-tied the need for this bill to the case of an 11-year-old girl in Texas who was gang-raped by 18 men. Rep. Passidomo says that the bill will prevent kids from getting raped for dressing like '21-year-old prostitutes' and prevent parents from tacitly supporting rape by letting their kids dress 'that way.'
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the rape had a hell of a lot more to do with male entitlement than how the girl was dressed, because well, men who don't feel entitled to sex don't rape women no matter how they're dressed. And I just don't see how you get from 'kids wear baggy pants' to 'an 11-year-old got raped by 18 people because she dressed like a slut.' Nope, an 11-year-old got raped because 18 people suspended their humanity long enough to do something heinous and horrific, and how she was dressed is at most a side issue, and really not even that.
And now Rep. Passidomo suspended her humanity long enough to blame a preteen for getting raped. I can only hope that the men involved all go to jail for a very long time and that the victim (note word "victim"-i.e., the person who didn't do anything to deserve what happened) is able someday to find some sort of healing. And maybe someday Rep. Passidomo will realize what a horrible thing she said and why it's so reprehensible. But I'm not holding my breath.