Insider/Outsider Debate

It's quite interesting to think about who has the right to write, illustrate, or talk about different cultures. Thinking about this debate reminded me of an episode of the TV show "degrassi: the next generation." Paige had previously been sexually assaulted and was struggling to deal with her grief. Her bandmate did not know what had happened to Paige but was in the process of writing a song about rape. Paige flipped out and told her she had no right to write about something she had no experience with, and Ashley told her that "she could imagine" and she had done "a lot of research." This little example makes you think about where do you cross the line when writing about something you are not personally associated with. For instance, I feel like no one would be offended if I wrote a novel about being white or Jewish. However, what if I wrote about being Muslim or even being a boy? Sure I could do research and imagine what it's like, but I'm clearly not an authentic source. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this debate yet...