Episode description

Katie’s previous life is uncovered, an update is provided on the Loudoun County situation is provided, the cotton ceiling is discussed, Jesse becomes increasingly disconsolate, Huma Abedin’s “sexual assault” is discussed, and the passive voice is used in the episode description. (Note: this is the free version of this episode. If you’re a premium subscriber looking to access the comments section, you want this version instead.)

Show notes/Links:

Loudoun County rape case update: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/in-case-at-center-of-political-firestorm-judge-finds-teen-committed-sexual-assault-in-virginia-school-bathroom/2021/10/25/42c037da-35cc-11ec-8be3-e14aaacfa8ac_story.html

Email from police officer: Scroll to the very bottom.

BBC on the cotton ceiling: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-57853385.amp

Explanation from a sympathetic source: http://sjwiki.org/wiki/Cotton_ceiling

Planned Parenthood Toronto joins in on the fun: https://www.facebook.com/PPToronto/posts/in-january-of-2012-planned-parenthood-toronto-in-partnership-with-other-local-pr/10150615471958021/

Linda Riley says it never happens and people respond with their stories of it happening:

Shoddy survey: http://www.gettheloutuk.com/blog/category/research/lesbians-at-ground-zero.html

Joanna Harper/IOC: https://www.science.org/content/article/scientist-racing-discover-how-gender-transitions-alter-athletic-performance-including

#CisiswiththeT backfires: https://twitter.com/search?q=%23CisWithTheT&src=typeahead_click

Dawn Ennis in The Daily Beast: https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-bbcs-ignorance-about-trans-women-and-sex-is-disgusting-and-dangerous

(Big Jesse fan: https://lifeafterdawn.medium.com/we-warned-the-atlantic-about-jesse-singal-but-they-ignored-us-beaee469d3f8)

Huma Abedin experience described as ‘assault’: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/oct/26/huma-abedin-sexual-assault-us-senator-book-memoir

NY Post yells at Abedin: https://nypost.com/2021/10/27/huma-abedin-makes-a-mockery-of-real-sexual-assault/

But she doesn’t even want to call it ‘assault’!

Email from cop:

I just wanted to share some context on sexual assault investigations, as I have seen them happen. It would be entirely normal for the SRO in the case of the Loudoun county incident to handle the entire initial investigation themselves. That may sound odd given the seriousness of the crime, but for most sexual assaults the process would look something like a patrol, or in this case a school officer being dispatched to someone wanting to make a report. The initial officer would take a basic report, often not even a full interview (if the case gets handed off the detectives are going to need to do a full interview and it doesn't make sense to traumatize the victim by making them go through every detail unless you have to). This report would basically try and establish whether or not there was a crime scene or evidence that needed to be preserved, and whether or not a forensic exam at a hospital would be of any value. It's only if you needed to preserve a crime scene that you would be calling for additional officers to do that. 

This all gets more complicated with minors. I don't know how Virginia's laws around medical consent work, but it may be necessary, or at least wise to get parental consent before administering a SA kit, it is after all a pretty invasive exam. Also while it may seem odd to have a school cop handle such a major incident, they at least in theory, are going to have special training on interacting with and interviewing juveniles. On the occasions I have had to do these investigations, it's training I feel an acute lack of. Lastly, it's best practice, though I have no idea if it is derigur in Loudoun County, for interviews of juveniles who have been sexually assaulted to be interviewed by a psychologist or doctor with forensic training. A police detective will monitor the interview, and may ask for some specific followup, but its understood that people with particular expertise in working with kids are better suited to getting full answers without causing any unnecessary trauma. 

My opinion is that everything I heard about the initial investigation seemed more or less above board. It's only what came after that got fucked up.