Cheerleader Refuses to Cheer for Her Rapist… And Punished For It.

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court refused to hear the case of a Texas cheerleader who was suspended from her team for refusing to cheer for the player who raped her.

The young woman, known only as H.S., was 16 years old when she said that she was raped by Rakheem Bolton, the star of her high school’s football and basketball team. He was not charged for the rape but eventually pleaded guilty in September 2010 to a misdemeanor assault charge and received a suspended sentence.

During a basketball game in February 2009, Bolton was shooting a free throw and H.S. was instructed to cheer “2, 4, 6, 8, 10, come on Rakheem, put it in”. The young woman refused to cheer for her assailant and instead, crossed her arms and remained silent. At halftime, H.S. was told to cheer for Bolton or go home. She refused, her parents drove her home and as a result, she was dismissed from the squad.

H.S. and her parents sued school officials and the district for punishing the teenager for exercising her right to free expression. An appeals court ruled against her because cheerleaders are a “mouthpiece” for the school and that her protest was a “disruption to the educational process”.

The Supreme Court’s decision to not hear this case means that the lower court’s decision stands. It also means that the cheerleader’s family now owes the district over $45,000 for the costs of “defending a frivolous suit”. Their decision has severe negative consequences for students’ rights to speak out against their perpetrator  and reaffirms a rape culture that punishes victims rather than the offender.

The school had a responsibility to tell their student body that violence is unacceptable but instead, they allowed Rakheem Bolton to represent them in extra curricular activities. Removing Bolton from the team would have given the school the opportunity to take a stand against violence and support the young woman by commending her decision to come forward. Students are kicked off high school teams for far less serious offenses and yet Rakheem Bolton pleads guilty to assault and the school does nothing except force his victim to cheer for him on the sidelines. Not only has he evaded punishment, but he has essentially been rewarded with cartwheels and cheers.

Take a minute to look at the message the school, and now the court, is sending. To victims, the crimes committed against them aren’t worth punishing. For perpetrators, crimes have no real consequences- especially if you’re a talented young sports star. Apparently the school is okay with a rapist on their basketball team, but they are not okay with a young woman taking a stance against sexual violence. Nice priorities.

And people wonder why so many rape victims don’t report the crimes committed against them…