Men can't control themselves and it's entirely women's fault. Don't we know this by now!!!!????

Ugh, people suck big time.

You're both dead on. How completely insulting. If I were one of the young men's parents, I might think about suing as well.

Can you imagine how this could play out in other areas?

Guess we'll have to go back to the days of chaperones in case any of these idiot males decides to get fresh when we're alone with one of them.

I think I'd be scared to be alone with the PRINCIPAL not the guys.

Was there an official statement from the male students in question in reaction to this? Every man I know would object to being called a potential rapist.

does he think any group of guys presented with a woman will just go into rape-mode?

Yeah, he probably does. Projection, and all that.

I'm glad she was reinstated in the class, but I am disappointed that she and her father are taking this to court, for $1 million at that. I respect her for taking on a policy and getting it reversed. But she was only out of the class for a few days, and she got the action taken by the principal reversed - that is a lesson for all concerned, but not a basis for asking for $1 million.

Caitlyn,

The $1m lawsuit is good in the sense that it gives publicity to the case. Plus the prinicpal will know better next time.

Actually Caitlyn, if the school has to fork over money because of this bonehead coach, then perhaps they'll start thinking a little more carefully about how they treat their students. It's beyond insulting for all involved - I hope some of the young men (the "potential rapists,' in this case) speak up too.

Sorry - bonehead principal.

My guess would be that what's really lying at the heart of this is the fact that the principal (plus coach, plus jocks?) thought weightlifting was "unfeminine" and unsuitable for a delicate little girl. Perhaps coach and jocks wanted to do some icky male bonding without a lady present?
So they needed an excuse to remove her from the class. And they came up with a truly dumb one.

Bowleserised, that's exactly what I think.

this is strange. The principal didn't even seem to have a reason to think these guys would this girl. add to that fact that he could have simply placed a security gaurd in the classroom indicates that this is a disingeneous reason.

If he actually believes one of the male students to be likely to attempt to incite a gang rape, he should remove that student and place him an an alternative learning program. Without bad leaders, people are mostly harmless.

They could put her in a burka, that keeps men from raping.

Not only did the principal think the students would rape her, but he implies the coach would join in.

a) If he's really afraid that his male students are rapists, that school needs some workshops and discussion about how horrible rape is, ASAP.
b) If he's really afraid that his male STAFF consists of rapists, there need to be some changes made to the hiring practices.
c) Apparently, she got an A. I doubt she could have accomplished that without being spotted, meaning the males in the class had little issue with her and were willing to help her out.

That all said, it seems a little disingenous to file this suit after she being reinstated in the class, getting an A, graduating, and starting university. Why didn't we hear about this when it actually happened?

What's really sick to me is the fact that the message they're giving the girls in this high school is that if you don't want to be raped, YOU have to change what you're doing - it's your responsibility to stop what you're doing, not the man's to control himself.....putting the responsibility back on us which is total bullshit. We shouldn't have to live in fear of being raped, just because we're the only female in the room.

Most definitely if I were the parent of one of these young men I'd be upset at the assumption that my son would be a rapist, as well as if I were the male student. Adding a new solution: Add more girls to the class.

This obvious bullshit excuse should be considered in its context: patriarchal exclusion of women is most frequently justified as a "protection." Obviously, in some probably non-cognitive way, the idea of a young woman getting physically strong stuck in their craw, or the idea of her invading male safe-space of the weight room did. They really wanted to protect themselves. (And when I say "they," I mean that this principal is merely part of a larger social structure, and he is acting as an agent for it.)

I emailed this story to three writers at either Feministing or Pandagon several days ago. Gee, sure took you long enough.

While Golda Meir was prime minister of Israel about 50 years ago, either the incidence or the report of rape increased. The men of the cabinet suggested an 8:00 PM curfew on girls and women, to protect all females. "But gentlemen," Golda Meir countered, "It's the men who are doing the raping. If there is going to be a curfew, let it be on them."

This coach should be sacked. Period. End of story. And a full investigation should be launched into why he believes his male students are capable of rape--if any of them committed acts of sexual aggression in the past, they need to be outed for it and expelled from the school.

Cheers,

TH

Geeze.

Everyone's pretty much said it already. He should be sacked.

If he was honestly concerned for her, then he's insulting the entire class. If not, then he's being openly sexist.

Several people have talked about "punishing." But no one's done anything wrong except for that bloody principle! Why punish anyone?! Not all young men just want to rape women!

Or at least, I don't think so. I wouldn't know. I'm not a man.

Hmmm... I would introduce a third option, Jes: That he's honestly concerned because of past student behavior that he has ignored or covered up, in which case that behavior needs to be investigated and any student offenders punished. But I'd agree that the only obvious offender right here is the coach.

Cheers,

TH