Cheerleader told to clap for her 'rapist'

You don't realise how seriously Texans take their cheerleading...

She did the right thing by not cheering for him.

it may be a 'sport' in cheerleading competitions but during a game it's simply a support function. the game is not decided by the cheers a team gets, although they may help in the scoring and such. if cheerleading is simply a high school extracurricular activity for the girl then there's no reason for her to pay up. it's not a professional career and i don't think she signed any contract. it's not like she suddenly booed then cheered for the other team. totally ridiculous.

maybe the parents shouldn't have sued right away, but the court's decision is idiotic.

nevertheless, freedom of speech is a basic constitutional right and should be in the spirit of any laws created.

Thank you for the clarification.

She was not protected by anybody then.

How bad is that?

Cabbage, I agree with what you are saying entirely, although unfortunately things aren't that simple. If you google the case and read some more about it, it gets worse. I think technically the 'rapist' was never convicted as such, in fact he's technically not a 'sex offender' (although you, me and everyone else would think so).

The reason the girl tried to take this to court was on the grounds that she has 'free speech protection' to NOT cheer someone on. The school's argument, and the court (strangely) agreed, was that in fact the girl has no free speech protection.

The case is terrible, and I really feel for the girl. It just seems like a total miscarriage of justice to me.

Hopefully she can sell her story to a few news outlets to raise the money she needs, and to raise the profile of the case.

The whole thing is sick. In my opinion, the boy should have been politely asked to leave the school and start elsewhere as a way of closing the chapter on the incident and to give everyone a fresh start, rather than to make it worse for all concerned. Especially the victim.

I did not comment about the case, just mentioned that cheerleading is regarded as a sport in the USA as you thought it to be a lifestyle choice, a hobby at best.

So what?

We all have competitive sports - but surely common sense prevails.

She was sexually assaulted and then she was expected to cheer his team on?

I don't think so.

The Team should not have had this ‘git’ on the team at all. He should have been banned.

He is a convicted ‘sexual offender’.

Sue the a** of him and the coach for me- I love sport and I am not PC at all but this girl is right.

She stood up for herself when the law let her down.

Cheerleading is regarded as a competetive sport in the USA.

Typical a** laws; where the victim is second to the perpetrator. No excuse at all for this.

She has every right NOT to cheer on anybody – especially a man that has sexually assaulted her.

Cheer Leading may be seen as a ‘sport’ but really it is not. It has no contract and is not a job – it is a lifestyle choice; a hobby at best.

Should she sue?

This ‘man’ is still free - so perhaps her suing this *ick of a Principal may make her feel that at long last what happened to her gets some exposure and her attacker is named.

If I were her I would be suing them both.

I don't like this culture of suing for everything but surely the school could have handled it with bit more compassion.

Weird people live in Texas? So much in the name of school sporting event?

The problem came from these Rapist, which I have wrote few comments on this issue last weekened in the topic called slut walk protest, which I also updated it today.

I hope my comments will be intersting to you.

Justice gone wrong :-(

Sad but not surprising. Texan mothers murder girls to make sure their daughters get on the squads.

A famous case;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanda_Holloway

I wished, i had access to view youtube frm my office.....:(

Watch this s_islae and tell me that they are just "item numbers" (whatever that means)

Tinker...I am not sure if you are getting carried away by the following words used in the article:

"Richard Bain, the school superintendent in the sport-obsessed small town, saw things differently. He told HS to leave the gymnasium. Outside, he told her she was required to cheer for Bolton. When the girl said she was unwilling to endorse a man who had sexually assaulted her, she was expelled from the cheerleading squad".

It can be a journalistic touch to spice up things or a language apt for a lawsuit.

Say if it was stated as under would it make to the headlines and get caught by the eye of Britexpat.

"Richard Bain, the school superintendent called HS outside and asked her what’s the problem with her. The girl said she was unwilling to endorse a man as he had sexually assaulted her. Richard Bain felt sorry for her and asked her to step down and he would find a replacement. However HS refused leaving Richard Bain no option but to expel her from the cheerleading squad".

what competitive sport - they are just there as item numbers-

s-islae, both men and women are cheerleaders. It's actually a serious competitive sport.

The big deal is that she may be a very good cheerleader. If she is than she may have been eligible for scholarships to University or had the opportunity to compete and a competitive level. Now she's lost that opportunity.

My guess is if it had been the guy who was raped they wouldn't have made him play against his rapist.

isnt cheerleading itself an exploitation of woman??

Tinker... just the mention of word "rape" shouldn't let us lose focus... here the issue is different. She was on the team of cheerleaders... she didn't want to perform, for any reason, as she is expected to... so whats the big deal in removing her from the squad. What otherwise would the school do...allow her to stand mute amidst the other cheerleaders. On the contrary she herself should have volunteered to be off the team in the circumstances. IMO the court has rightly slapped her with a fine.

Disgusting Brit. I can't believe people can be so heartless, especially over something as silly as high school sports!

I do feel the school shld have considered her case, but dont think she shld have gone to court. After all he was alraedy tried by the law and given punishment. The courts go by rules , not emotions.Here cheerleading was not part of her personal life.

Perhaps they wanted to send a message to others regarding what they term "Frivoulus Lawsuits"..

lol @ action and reaction in the story .. whats the big deal if she was removed from the squad.

Totally demoralizing. On one hand the guy committed a terrible crime and got off with a very light sentence to say the least leaving his victim obviously disheartened and probably mentally scarred for life. However in the eyes of the law he had payed his dues hence was now off the hook. The girl on the other hand as a cheerleader,which I presume was a position she achieved by her own accord, had her duty towards the school she represented hence when she failed to comply and was sacked and sued them it was she who then opened herself to another trial all together which she lost,sadly. So all in all as much as I hurt for her I must say the courts decision was obviously made not taking human emotions into account hence they were right as far as the law on such matters go.I do feel however the school should have acted better. They are a school after all. A place where parents send their kids not just to top in academics and sports but to be better human beings too. Even if they could do nothing to help her they should have at least not added insult to the injury by getting her to pay the fine..surely is $46,000 really worth more to them? Pathetic case really!

She cannot appeal.. The case went to the Supreme Court and they refused to hear it...

I personaly believe that teh School should have taken a more caring view of the issue , considering her circumstances.

I don't think it is her mistake .. She felt agrieved at how she was treated ...

She isn't getting paid! This is a voluntary high school sport! Shame on the high school for expecting her to cheer, and shame on the court for siding with the high school! I hope she files for an appeal and get's a judge with some sense.

First she is poor girl because she did not expect this from the high school.

It is her mistake, because she did not know about the rules of cheer leader and also becuase she did not look for other job.

Logically what she did is right, but legally she is paid to do what they ask her to do! and she failed to do her job.

Poor gal !....

Instead of clapping she would have slapped tat ba$tard !