Alleged hate crime, that I didn't believe, was a hoax

Thank you. I got beaten up on Twitter by a number of lesbians who called me a woman-hater for not writing about this "hate crime" because the story smelled funny to me. I just didn't believe it. Hard to say why. I read the story, and it just didn't sound right. And I was right.

From AP:

A former University of Nebraska women's basketball star faked an attack in which she allegedly carved anti-gay slurs into her skin because she felt it would spark change, police said Tuesday.

Four days before Charlie Rogers crawled naked and bleeding from her Lincoln home, screaming for help, she outlined in a Facebook posting what investigators believe was her motive for faking the July 22 attack, Police Chief Jim Peschong said at a news conference.

Furthermore, genetic testing on evidence gathered at the crime scene undermines Rogers' account of what happened, Peschong said.

Charlie Rogers, 33, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to making a false police report and was released on her own recognizance. She didn't respond to a message seeking comment left Tuesday at a number listed as hers, but her lawyer, Brett McArthur, said she maintains the attack happened and plans to vigorously defend herself.

I can't tell you why the story sounded fake, that's part and parcel of being a good journalist/politico - it's just something in your gut. I can say why I didn't write about it. You HAVE to get these stories right. We can't be seen pushing alleged hate crimes that are fake, lest we become the LGBT who cried wolf the next time a real hate crime happens. And yes, the religious right lies like a cheap rug, but we're better than that, and we're smarter than that.

There's a reason a number of the lead religious right groups have been designated official hate groups - because lying for them isn't just second nature, it isn't just a bug, it's a feature.

We're the good guys. That doesn't mean we can't be as tough as them, it does mean that we're better than them.