May 24, 2013
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I got called into work, AND I have a doctor's appointment in an hour, so I don't have time to point you to my facebook comment, but if you look for Bob Lipton, I'm the one with the picture of the big dog and the little baby as my "photograph."
The Slate article (linked above) discusses the Kaitlyn Hunt case, which I've been following closely. Though I don't know her personally, I'm especially interested because this is local. Well, sort of local. Sebastian, where she goes to high school, is in the same town as my doctor's office. Which reminds me ...
5 p.m. Edit
Well, that was a brutal day of work. Glad to be home.
About Kaitlyn Hunt. She declined the plea deal which, according to prosecutor Bruce Colton, would have included a guarantee not to be labeled a sex offender. Not sure if he's telling the truth about that.* But, here is where we are, in any event.
They're going ahead with the trial. The facts are:
Kaitlyn Hunt, age 18, was a senior at Sebastian River High School before the school board demanded she be expelled because she had had sexual relations with a 14-year-old girl who happened to be a fellow member of the school's basketball team. Thousands of folks have rushed to Kaitlyn's defense, signing a petition agreeing with her lawyer's request for the charges to be dropped to a misdemeanor.
Hunt's parents allege that their daughter's relationship with her girlfriend, who was 14 when they began dating, was known to the other girl's parents. They implied that the other girl's parents waited until Hunt turned 18 to press charges.
The laws in Florida are such that persons 18 and over may be charged with felonies for having sex with a person 16 or under, and it's understandable why children need to be protected from adult predators.
But in my opinion, mitigating factors need to be taken into account. From what I understand, Kaitlyn is no predator. The prosecuting attorney is acting as if he has no choice, but I think he's lying.
*The reason I think he's lying is that an article in London's Daily Mail says THIS (which agrees with something else I read in the local paper): "Hunt is facing felony charges of lewd and lascivious activity. If she had accepted the plea deal, she would have been forced to register as a sex offender as well as remain on house arrest for two years."
Here's a Facebook page where you can sign a petition to help "free Kate." I'll try to post a link to a petition page itself.
I still don't see where you sign the petition on that page. Or buy a couple of "Stop the Hate. Free Kate" t-shirts, which Barbara and I would like to have.
A guy writing under the pseudonym of "FosterDisbelief" captures my feelings HERE. I wish he would tell me where I can buy a t-shirt.
to be continued
Comments (7)
It does seem to me that the age thing would make it statutory rape. Some states define it based on a specified age gap rather than whether one is over and one is under 18.
Usually homophobia is male oriented so this is a case where lesbian activity is being prosecuted.
I wonder if the religious folks are going to appear in this issue?
I suppose this case would have been more likely to appear in a Bible belt state?
Anyway I have not heard of this case and will check out the links.
@Roadkill_Spatula - I'm afraid that technically, you're right. However, while there are good reasons why "statutory rape" is on the books as such, I still believe that cases need to be judged on their own merits, rather than there be a requirement that all "statutory rape" cases be prosecuted equally.
Katelyn is a kid. She's now an 18-year-old kid, and my understanding is that the relationship began before she was 18, and the younger girl's parents waited until she was 18 in order for her to be charged as an adult.
The younger girl was a 14-year-old girl when this started, but it appears that she hung out with older basketball teammates and was maturer, for her age, than other 14-year-olds. (She's now 15.)
The punishment simply doesn't fit the crime. Katelyn made a mistake, but it shouldn't be the kind of mistake that will ruin her life.
This seems too severe. I am struggling with this because if it were a 18 year old male, I doubt there would be much support for a reduced penalty. Long ago when I was a kid, statutory rape was very serious because the young were thought to need protection---usually male female of course.
Tough one. I do not see this as a religious issue, but societal issue. Our culture has changed. I saw a TV report on Hooking Up.
If it were an 18-year-old boy and a 14-year-old, I suspect the public would be less sympathetic, regardless of when it started.
Purchase Free Kate t-shirts here.
@C_L_O_G - Thanks. As you can see from my latest entry, Barbara and I have our t-shirts.
Comments are closed.