New Times / Letter To The Editor

People should know the myths of sexual assault

Kelly Manderino

Thank you very much for your article, “Behind closed doors” (Feb. 14). I used to work the Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Unit here at the SLO DA’s office. It was an assignment that tormented me, mostly because victims of sexual assault are so often revictimized in a society that, for some of the reasons you explained, chooses to not believe them.

I would love to see you do a follow-up piece on the myths of sexual assault. I learned about these from Dr. Kim Lonsway and the staff at SARP when I first began prosecuting sexual assault. That knowledge/training made me a believer. I think it would do a service to this community to publish a list of those myths.