The case of Beckett Brennan - a she-said/he-said on sexual assault. 5 minute video. Very illustrative of the minefield around sexual assault allegations today.

Celda · 2011-04-19T18:25:55+00:00

This is screwed, three guys got screwed over because she said they raped her. It doesn't mention any other evidence so I am assuming they would have said the evidence if there was any.

If they did do the rape, then they deserve the punishment.

But the fact of the matter is, they got expelled just by her word. And that's not right.

AyeMatey · 2011-04-19T17:34:32+00:00

Summary:

Beckett Brennan was a bright, wholesome looking girl, a student at Pacific University in California. One night she attended a party, drank to excess, found herself in an off-campus condo, where she says 3 men "led her upstairs" and then 2 of them had sex with her, against her will.

She declined to press charges, never filed a police report. A number of weeks after the incident, she took her case to her university's review board. The board expelled one student, suspended the other two - one for a year, and one for a semester.

Now Ms Brennan is suing the university for violating her civil rights.

This news item, I thought, treated the issue pretty well, although it is clear that 60 minutes is more sympathetic to Ms Brennan and her story, than it is to the men who were penalized based on her allegations and no further evidence. This is a case of he-said/she-said, and it comes down to this: no criminal guilt was ever established. No criminal court was ever involved. (Likely if it were brought to court, the charges would be dismissed due to lack of evidence).

The university board sanctioned those who were accused, based on the accusations of a drunk woman. The woman in question thinks the sanctions weren't enough.

The director at a women's shelter thinks the accused men should be banned from all universities, forever. The father of Ms Brennan is outraged that the man his daughter accused, is legally able, despite his daughter's allegations, to enroll in a different university, in Utah.

Do we really want that? Accuse a man and have him banned from all universities everywhere, for life? Do we want to ban an accused man from ever getting a university degree? This sounds patently ridiculous to me.

None of the involved parties is coming out of this happy.

I think this illustrates the impossibility of reaching "justice" in these cases.

The fact is that something happened that night, and the woman was not happy about it. She then complained about it but never pressed charges.

The lesson for the woman from this incident is : don't go to a condo with three men you just met. Don't go upstairs to the bedroom with those three men. Don't get drunk and leave your friends.

Drinking too much, flirting, and wearing provocative clothing are not "irrevocable invitations to sex". But as a woman, these things may set in motion some events that you may not be happy with. Be responsible and stay away from these risks.

The men are not morally absolved from responsibility, but there is no criminal court that would convict them, on the basis of a drunk woman's testimony.

The lesson for the men is: don't hang out with drunk women. No matter how many times they say "yes" to sex, a "No" tomorrow (after the fact) could ruin your college career or your entire life.

There is no happy outcome here. It is a minefield for all concerned.

Title	The case of Beckett Brennan - a she-said/he-said on sexual assault. 5 minute video. Very illustrative of the minefield around sexual assault allegations today.
Author	AyeMatey
Upvotes	4
Comments	20
Date	April 19, 2011 5:22 PM UTC (15 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/MensRights
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/gtqp0/the_case_of_beckett_brennan_a_shesaidhesaid_on/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/MensRights/the-case-of-beckett-brennan-a-she-saidhe-said-on.1040766 https://theredarchive.com/post/1040766

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