Given that I’m a writer, you might be expecting a post with this title to be about speculative fiction fandom. It isn’t, or not directly.* It’s about hockey, and the very troubling rape allegation that surfaced recently in regards to Patrick Kane, #88, star winger on the Chicago Blackhawks. When professional athletes are accused of serious crimes, their fans don’t always take it well. There’s a chorus of innocent until proven guilty and but he’s such a great guy, he signed my kid’s jersey one time and sometimes some pretty gross backlash against the victims of the alleged crimes. As a female sports fan–heck, as a decent-person sports fan, here is what I want to hear from other fans when something like this goes down. I want to hear, first and foremost, that you hope the victim is okay and being treated well. I want to hear concern for her, belief in her. I don’t want your first thought to be for the alleged criminal. He’s a rich, highly privileged person who will almost certainly be fairly treated, well-represented and supported with excellent legal advice, and even if found guilty, may keep his prestigious job and his millions in salary. […]