by Leora Tanenbaum

About the author: Leora Tanenbaum writes on gender issues for magazines including Ms., Mirabella, and In These Times.

A junior high school girl in Petaluma, Calif., known as Jane Doe was the target of an ugly and persistent rumor. In the fall of 1990, when she was in the seventh grade, classmates spread the word that Doe had a hot dog in her pants. Throughout the year Doe was repeatedly called a “hot dog bitch” and a “slut.” And the rumor did not dissipate over the summer. When Doe returned to school the following year, the comments kept coming. One day a classmate stood up in the middle of English class and blatantly said, “This question is for Jane. Did you have sex with a hot dog"&rdquo...