The 19-year-old woman who accused Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant of rape was named on Tuesday by a nationally syndicated talk-show host and on the Internet, pushing her into the spotlight despite pleas for privacy from her family.
Rape counselors and mental health experts were outraged by the exposure of the young Colorado woman, saying that a victim of sexual assault would be further traumatized by public scrutiny.
"That's like being raped again," if her accusations against Bryant are true, said Dr. Patricia Saunders, director of Graham Windham Manhattan Medical Center in New York City. "It's an intrusion. It's an utter violation of her right to privacy. It's a sadistic thing to do."
News organizations, which typically have policies against naming sexual assault victims, have not identified the woman. But her name, address, telephone number and possibly her picture have surfaced on the Internet.
Meanwhile Tom Leykis, host of a radio talk-show based in Los Angeles and aimed mostly at young men, began using her name on the air and told Reuters that he has no plans to stop.
"We're told that rape is violence, not sex, and if that's true there's no reason she should feel shame or embarrassment," Leykis said, adding that he felt it unfair to name Bryant but not his accuser.
The talk-show host, who is heard on 60 stations across the country, also said he did not believe the woman's claims. He said he believes the woman was seeking attention and money and that Bryant could be the "real victim" in the case.
Saunders said Leykis' reasoning about rape and disclosure was a "distortion" because rape victims were often stigmatized by society.
'OUTRIGHT SADISM'
"Rape is a person using domination in sex to express aggression, if not outright sadism," she said. "Rape uses sex to debase a woman and to assert male dominance. (Leykis) has no right to take it upon himself to make that kind of decision. This guy violated what I think is an ethical law."
Few details have been made public about the woman's accusations against Bryant, who is charged with class 3 sexual assault, the equivalent of rape under Colorado law.
The 24-year-old superstar has denied attacking the woman, a concierge at the four-star Colorado resort where authorities say the attack took place. Eagle County authorities have refused to discuss evidence in the case and convinced a judge to seal the court file, which details the woman's allegations and the version of events that Bryant gave to police.
A spokeswoman and victim's advocate for the Eagle County District Attorney's Office said victims of sexual attacks are told the road ahead of them will be difficult and are offered counseling.
"But you don't know until you go through it," Krista Flannigan said.
Bryant's lawyers could not be reached for comment.
Meanwhile, the Denver Post, citing interviews with a friend of the woman, said she had suffered physical injuries that were still visible three weeks later.
"She's been hurt, there's no question about that," Luke Bray told the Post. The paper said he would not describe the injuries.
The Post also said that the woman's mother had asked her friends to stop talking with the news media.
Bryant is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 6 to hear the charges against him. The state's crime lab still processing evidence, according to Pete Mang, deputy director of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
(Additional reporting by Judith Crosson in Denver)
