National Organization for Women: WaPo Should Dump George Will for Rape Column

The president of the National Organization for Women has come out and called for The Washington Post to dump George Will over a controversial column he wrote about rape. Terry O’Neill told Media Matters today that they want the Post to stop publishing his column after coming out with such a “hateful message.”

Over the weekend, Will ran a column stating that being a rape victim is a “coveted status” on college campuses “that confers privileges.” He said that some accusations of rape can be exaggerated and says you shouldn’t equate more minor grievances with sexual assault.

RELATED: WaPo’s Advice to Women Who Don’t Want to Be Raped: Get Married

O’Neill blasted Will’s column today, called for the Post to drop his column, and said his words are just shockingly offensive to anyone who’s dealt with the horrible aftermath of sexual assault.

“It is actively harmful for the victims of sexual assault when that kind of man writes a piece that says to assault victims, ‘it didn’t happen and if it did happen you deserve it.’ That re-traumatizes victims. I can’t believe that Mr. Will has had this experience if he would put out such a hateful message.”

Post editorial page editor Fred Hiatt defended Will’s column and told Media Matters that it was “well within the bounds of legitimate debate.”

[image via screengrab]

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Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac

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