As a writer about issues of women’s self defense and safety this controversy is of great interest. After all, it is public attitudes that ultimately shape our justice system and the attitudes of women and perpetrators themselves.

As it turns out, the “unlawful sex” refers to an incident where he fed her champagne and a quaalude. forced her to undress, and penetrated her both vaginally and anally. Stronger charges were dropped to save the victim the ordeal of a public trial.

The public reactions reveal a great deal about attitudes about women victims of rape, their rapists and their standing in the world. Hollywood and the governments of France, Poland and Germany have rallied around Polanski. But many women, feminists and even right wingers are appalled.

That Hollywood mavens reflexively jump to Polanski’s defense belittles the suffering of his victim and supports an attitude that artistic achievement and fame  somehow elevate a man beyond the reach of the law. It is gratifying to see that so many people have leapt to the victim’s defense that some Hollywood types are retracting their show of support.

Still the fact that so many leapt to Polanski’s defense shows us how far we have to go in treating rape as the soul destroying crime that it is.

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