I found this article on hollabacktoronto called Sex Assualt Charge Follows Subway Attack.
Did anyone else notice that the victim of assault was repeatedly refered to as the complainant? God forbid a woman should COMPLAIN about being sexually assaulted! I guess the writer of the article felt that a good woman knows her place, so to speak and so she should just keep quiet. It's as if they're likening the act of speaking up against sexual assault to a grumpy old neighbour complaining about the kids next door who always step on their grass. Sexual assault just doesn't seem to be taken seriously. Furthermore, it paints the actor of assault in a passive voice, as if he was doing something normal/natural and this woman was just being difficult.
It's amazing how the language one uses can alter how one perceives a situation.
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Complainant, is another term for plaintiff, which just means that they are bringing an issue to court. It perhaps wasn't the best word to use, but it by no means implies that the woman was "complaining"
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