[Tango-L] tangoprofessionals.org: Sex, laws, and tango teachers

[Fantasia Sorenson]

On 4/23/07, Jay Rabe <jayrabe at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>  But it seems to me that the concept of a "community" requires a response
> more definitive than looking the other way and letting the police and/or
> rumor mill provide their characteristic consequences.



In this context, there is a concept that supercedes "community". It's called
rule of law. We already have laws prohibiting sexual harassment and assault.

When we are harassed, or worse assaulted, it really produces a sense of
shame. It's so very hard to council other women to come forward and level
accusations. There's a very real inclination to hide the shame. The same
thing happens with victimized children. These things are so very ugly even
to talk about. Imagine if you are the victim! It's even harder to talk about
it if you are the one who was victimized.

Still, in our country under our rule of law the accused have rights . They
have a right to face their accuser and they have a right to their day in
court. That's how it works in a democracy.

Although it sets my teeth on edge to make note of it, I also have to
recognize too that there also laws as well that prohibit slander, libel, and
defamation. I know so many women who have their private horror stories of
abuse. Yet I can also think of a few who exagerrated or even fabricated
reports of mistreatment as retaliation against men for perceived wrongs
which, disreputable though they may have been, were not criminal acts. Those
men rightly defended themselves against that illegal treatment by those
women. As difficult as it might be to swallow, our justice system is how you
decide what the fitting response should be.

Vigilantism is not the answer.