'Show me' how to sue sexual assault victims: Missouri GOP carries lobbyist's water to gut Title IX

GOP lawmakers and a certain lobbyist in Missouri are trying to pave the way for the silencing and intimidation of campus sexual assault victims in the state—up to and including allowing alleged perpetrators to sue their victims.

Two pieces of legislation specifically designed to impede justice in college sexual assault cases are currently making their way through the legislature, and they can be traced back to Richard McIntosh, a lobbyist who’s mad that his son got expelled from college through the Title IX process.

Note: It’s unknown whether a sexual assault accusation was behind the young man’s expulsion, but based on the nature of the proposed changes to state statute … well, you’re a thinking human; I invite you to draw your own conclusions.

Title IX is a federal anti-sex-discrimination law, and it’s the statute under which campus sexual violence is investigated. McIntosh’s son was “accused and subsequently expelled” from Washington University in St. Louis last year through Title IX proceedings.

Shortly thereafter, McIntosh had a Republican legislator attach an amendment to an unrelated bill that would have made sweeping changes to the way universities all across the state handle sexual assault. That effort failed, so McIntosh had his pal GOP Rep. Dean Dohrman sponsor a bill this year that would

allow students accused of Title IX violations to appeal their hearing results to the state Administrative Hearing Commission—a commission the expelled student’s mom just happens to preside over; and allow the accused to sue their school or the victims themselves—enabling lawyers to cross-examine sexual assault survivors about bullshit like their sexual history, drinking habits, manner of dress … you name it. (This provision has been removed from the current version of the bill.)

A similar version of this bill has been introduced in the state Senate, where the sponsor claims his office drafted the bill without “outside assistance.”

Thing is, “outside assistance” is flooding the capitol, thanks to a dark money group called “Kingdom Principles” that McIntosh started shortly after his son’s expulsion. Kingdom Principles is bankrolling 29 lobbyists to push this single issue in Jefferson City, as well as funding polling and ad buys.

University presidents, Title IX administrators, student groups, and sexual assault victim advocacy groups vehemently oppose these bills as obvious attempts to undermine Title IX protections and intimidate survivors into not reporting their experiences and seeking justice.

The fight over these measures is ongoing.

State Senate Democrats successfully filibustered the Senate version of the bill, but it could still be called up from the calendar for a vote. The state House version of the bill recently cleared committee and was reported favorably to the floor, where it has not yet been scheduled for a vote.

from Daily Kos http://bit.ly/2DBVjqP