opinion

Double standard for woman accused in child sex case?

Is there an exercise pose called "downward facing double standard?"

Nothing else explains how yoga instructor Lindsey Ann Radomski has managed so far to avoid the really, really big trouble she could be in. The kind of trouble she most definitely would be in if she were a man.

Look at it this way:

Let's say a man was accused of doing what Radomski is alleged to have done.

Let's say a man in his 30s goes to a family gathering, and is later accused of unzipping his trousers and flashing his private parts. Then, that man is accused of taking a group of underage girls into a room with him, letting them fondle him and, ultimately, performing oral sex on one of them.

Is there a single individual on the planet who would suggest that – if true – the girls got lucky? Is there a single individual on the planet who would find that scenario funny?

And yet that is exactly what happened earlier this year when Radomski was accused of having done these things. One of the first comments on the article written by Matthew Casey of The Arizona Republic back then read:

"Epic. that kid has Bar Mitzvah bragging rights the rest of his life that no one else will ever be able to touch."

One of the other boys in the room supposedly told his mother about the encounter, which brought in the police. One commenter didn't like that and wrote: "Can you imagine being a 15 year old and telling your Mommy? What a wimp!"

Another reader chimed in: "This sad story does have a happy ending. Her evening pilates classes will be sold out with dudes for the rest of the year."

Scottsdale police arrested Radomski on suspicion of 21 felonies but a Maricopa County grand jury recently decided not to indict her. Her attorney now says that he believes his client was drugged.

Other women have been prosecuted for such cases. The Maricopa County Attorney's Office has sent several women to prison. But the double standard in the public's view remains the same. Or, as one of the first commenters on the latest news story wrote: "Dude you had the best Bar Mitzvah party ever!"

The case isn't over. Scottsdale police can investigate further or they can take the case to Scottsdale city court, where Radomski likely would face misdemeanor charges. This would be in addition to the two counts of misdemeanor indecent exposure already filed against her.

Some argue that Radomski has been "punished" enough, given the level of public embarrassment associated with such a case.

But if this were a man, embarrassment would be the last of his worries.

No one would be snickering. And there most likely would be a wave of public outrage if he were not indicted.

But some public perceptions take a long, long time to change. If they change at all. With cases like this, gender seems to matter. The old, ugly cliche still holds:

Girls get assaulted. Boys get … lucky.