Trayvon Martin, hoodies and the rape justification.

I am in a small coffee shop in an overwhelmingly white suburb of Chicago. (I do not like suburbs but life is tough) Anyway just in the last hour three young people, all white, have been in wearing their hoodies pulled up over their heads. This is unusual as it is about 70 degrees. It is clearly in solidarity with the fight against the racist killing of Trayvon Martin in Florida. This is very encouraging.

Yesterday a radio commentator in New York said Trayvon should not have been wearing his hoodie up. Obviously suggesting that if he had not then he would not have been murdered. This is like the rape defense. When a woman is raped she is often accused of "asking for it" because of the clothes she was wearing, the make up etc.

Trayvon was shot because he was black. He had the right to wear a hoodie or no hoodie, up or down. Women have the right to wear the clothes they want and not have to worry that some man will rape them.

The problem is the murderer and the rapist not what clothes people wear or how they wear them.

Sean.