I think there are a few things to consider here going forward.

1. If this story gains credibility -- i.e. someone comes forward saying they were abused, specifically by Trent -- then their voice should be heard, and Trent should respond. That doesn't mean Courtney Love's voice shouldn't also be heard, but as you guys are pointing out, her track record makes it impossible to differentiate truths from half-truths from all out lies.

2. If Trent was in fact involved or complicit in any kind of abuse, he should have the balls to admit it and apologize rather than issuing some mediaspeak statement that doesn't admit to or apologize for anything.

3. If all of the above comes to pass, the question not enough people ask is, "do we think this person is the same person they were back then?" Do we think the soft-spoken, 56 year-old family man we know today is the same person as the twenty-something depressed alcohol and drug abusing wreck of the mid-90's? to be clear, I'm not saying someone getting their act together excuses anyone of bad behavior in the past, but if they admit to that bad behavior and accept any repercussions, and we feel that person would be incapable of similar behavior now, then that person should be allowed to be forgiven, and we should be willing to forgive them.

P.S. To be extra extra clear, I'm not saying men who are accused of abuse should be given a pass or anything remotely close to it. I just think there's a world of difference between people who exemplified horrifying behavior for decades and people who were fuck-ups in their 20's and have shown themselves to be nothing but clean and respectable for the majority of their adult lives. Again, the latter should absolutely still be held accountable for past behavior, but it doesn't mean that in 100% of cases they automatically should be wiped off the face of the cultural map.