A counterpoint to the Rolling Stone Article: It's okay to question an accusation

[Lee-Lee]

17. Of course it is. This idiocy that sexual assault is different and can't be verified before acting

is just that- idiocy.

And I say that as both a victim of sexual assault myself and as someone who has had to investigate and act, and make arrests on sexual assault cases in an official capacity. And I have been told some very convincing accounts of sexual assault only to find out the accused had an airtight alibi.

It's the basic responsibility of anyone acting on a claim of sexual assault, just like for any other crime, to do their due dilligence and verify to the best of your ability the veracity of the claims before taking action- be that action a published article, an expulsion from a school, or an arrest.

People claim that it's "too serious" or "too sensitive" to do that, and they are full of shit. The more serious and sensitive something is the MORE responsibility anyone acting on it has to ensure they are acting on reliable information.

To do otherwise... Well you end up with crap like Duke Lacrosse and Rolling Stone that hurt legitimate claims, and you create a system where more attention seeking fakers see sexual assault as a "safe" bogus claim to make and draw more in, making the problem worse, and the cycle continues.

Now, that said, must we be sensitive about how we deal with victims and go about investigating and verifying? Of course. Sexual assault isn't an auto theft or a bar fight and you have to make sure that you don't further harm the victim. But thag can be done while still exercising due dilligence in ensuring they are being truthful.