Florida teen expelled and threatened with jail time for dating a younger girl

[Questionable]

Most high school seniors are excitedly preparing to put on their cap and gown and looking forward to the future right now. Kaitlyn Hunt, 18, is instead fighting bigotry and hoping she won’t be forced to go to jail instead of college. Her crime? Dating another student – a female student. Kaitlyn’s family took her story public on May 17th, via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/192262314259128/doc/192326077586085/).

Hunt was a highly respected student at Florida’s Sebastian River High School with good grades and participation in cheerleading, basketball and chorus. She was even voted “most school spirit.”
All of that changed when she started dating a fellow student, a girl she met on the basketball team, at the beginning of the school year.
According to Kaitlyn’s father, Steven R. Hunt, Jr., the relationship caused waves at the school from the start. His daughter was dropped from the basketball team because the coach feared a same-sex relationship would bring unwanted “drama.”
Then the family was shocked and devastated when police came to their home in February to arrest Kaitlyn. She was charged with two felony counts of lewd and lascivious battery on a child 12 – 16 years of age.
Kaitlyn was 17 when the relationship began, but right after she turned 18, her 15-year-old girlfriend's parents pressed charges. Hunt’s mother, Kelley Hunt Smith, says the other set of parents have made it their mission to destroy her daughter’s life, all because they can’t accept that their child was in a same sex relationship.
The girl’s family petitioned the school board and got Katilyn expelled from school, weeks before graduation. This decision was made in spite of a judge declaring she could continue to attend school as long as she didn’t have contact with the girl.
Kelley explained,
“They are out to destroy my daughter, because they feel like she ‘made’ their daughter gay. They see being gay as wrong and they blame my daughter. Of course, I see it 100% differently. I don’t see or label these girls as gay. They are teenagers in high school experimenting with their sexuality – with mutual consent. And even if their daughter is gay, who cares? She is still their daughter.”
The heartache for the Hunt family continues even with Kaitlyn forced out of the school. Steven said their younger child is also a student at Sebastian River High School and is forced to see words like “criminal,” “rapist” and “child abuser” written about her sister on the bathroom walls at school, despite his repeated request that the school to do something about it.
Kaitlyn has been offered a plea deal of house arrest for two years, plus a year of probation. This would delay her entering the next phase of her life and stay on her permanent adult record, limiting her career choices.
Her parents say all of this is because she fell in love with another girl and that girl’s parents couldn’t handle it. They are urging the public to step up to “stop the hate, free Kate” by signing a petition they will present to the Indian River County State Attorney’s Office. Click here to sign (http://www.change.org/petitions/indian-river-county-state-attorney-s-office-stop-the-prosecution-of-an-18-year-old-girl-in-a-same-sex-relationship). You can also learn more about Kaitlyn Hunt’s story on the Free Kate (https://www.facebook.com/groups/192262314259128/) Facebook page.I strongly encourage every comrade to take ten seconds out of their life to sign this petition. It's only about 700 signatures short right now.

[Asmo]

This shit is why every state needs Romeo and Juliet laws. This barely adult person is going to have rape on her record forever when no rape occurred. Ugh, homophobic doucheweasels like this disgust me. D:<

[Fourth Internationalist]

her 15-year-old girlfriend's parents pressed charges.

Those parents are horrible people. :(

[Anglo-Saxon Philistine]

Given that I am from Croatia, would signing the petition make sense? Don't get me wrong, I fully support the girl and hope the charges are dropped. And that her parents and the DA choke on a pretzel, but that's neither here nor there.

[evermilion]

When I was 17, I began a relationship with a 15-year-old girl. Her parents seemed to like me, at first. As soon as I turned 18, though, then came the charges, not unlike the ones being faced by this young woman. She and I hadn't had sex; we were the type who wanted to wait until we were both adults.

Even though my situation is dissimilar in that I was not the victim of bigotry per se, I'm still signing the petition. This hits way too close to home to ignore.

[Questionable]

Given that I am from Croatia, would signing the petition make sense? Don't get me wrong, I fully support the girl and hope the charges are dropped. And that her parents and the DA choke on a pretzel, but that's neither here nor there.

I live in a totally different state and signed it. I'm sure showing international solidarity wouldn't hurt, and at best it would show the girl that people all around the world support her.

[Fourth Internationalist]

When I was 17, I began a relationship with a 15-year-old girl. Her parents seemed to like me, at first. As soon as I turned 18, though, then came the charges, not unlike the ones being faced by this young woman. She and I hadn't had sex; we were the type who wanted to wait until we were both adults.

Even though my situation is dissimilar in that I was not the victim of bigotry per se, I'm still signing the petition. This hits way too close to home to ignore.

Were they dropped?

[Sasha]

i posted it on george takei's facebook, if he pick's it up she will have a few million signatures by tonight.

[evermilion]

Were they dropped?

I shouldn't say "charges," as I was never brought to court over them. But there was an investigation. The result was that, while we could never see each other again, we both have clean records and actually talk, albeit rarely.

[Il Medico]

Man this is kinda fucked up, I feel for the girl. Seniors dating sophomores and freshmen happens pretty often in high school, the only reason this girl is getting it is because the parents of her girlfriend are bigots. Signed.

[ToldYouSo]

I live in the uk. The age of consent here is 16 so people over and under the age go out quite alot. Never heard of anyone getting charged for it though. If they were not the same sex I bet nothing would have came of it. Its just homophobia plain and simple. People need to stop living in the past. Signed.

[Craig_J]

I live in the uk. The age of consent here is 16 so people over and under the age go out quite alot. Never heard of anyone getting charged for it though. If they were not the same sex I bet nothing would have came of it. Its just homophobia plain and simple. People need to stop living in the past. Signed.

I'm from the UK aswell, to be honest I think that if it doesn't already a Romeo & Juliet law should exist where a 4 year difference (I believe that's an acceptable ammount right?) difference is exempt. I've also never heard of it.

And as for those parents, how can this girl of turned their daughter gay? Was she to good looking for her to resist? Because that's the only way I see it and that would suggest she was either gay or bisexual to begin with.

How the USA can claim to be home of the free is beyond me. Historically they were huge in the slave trade and now days they still aren't prepared to give people freedoms they should right fully have.

A leapord doesn't change it's spots and the USA doesn't change it's oppresive stripes.

[Aurora]

A great example of how bourgeois anti-sex laws criminalise youth sexual expression and because of our homophobic society are inevitably used as a weapon against same sex couples.

[Invader Zim]

I live in the uk. The age of consent here is 16 so people over and under the age go out quite alot. Never heard of anyone getting charged for it though. If they were not the same sex I bet nothing would have came of it. Its just homophobia plain and simple. People need to stop living in the past. Signed.

Well, in the UK things are a bit different because firstly the parents would have to report the 'crime' to the police, and the police would then have to refer the case to the Crown Prosecution Service who then make a judgement whether it is in the public interest to prosecute. So you have a lot of bodies who necessarily would have to agree with the parents that there is sufficient basis to take the matter to court.

There is also a kind of Romeo and Juliet element to the legislation, because while it is illegal for an under 16 to consent, UK law deems that from the age of 16 they are capable of consent. Thus two 15 year olds will be breaking the law if they have sex, neither party is committing a statutory rape. However, the law seems to be less lenient when it comes to intercourse between individuals who are legally adults and young people above the age of consent but not yet adults. Thus it is illegal for say an 20 year old to have sex with a 17 year old, but it is legal for a 16 year old to have sex with a 17 year old. Meanwhile it is illegal for a 16 year old to have sex with a 15 year old.

Confused? Me too.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/42/contents#pt1-pb6-l1g16

[Sasha]

Here age of consent is 16, until recently it was 18 for male-male couples but that got scrapped because it was discriminatory
But if above 12, if consensual and no more than 4 years appart is never prosecuted, above that its up to the disgression of the courts buts its very rare.

[REV3R]

Title should read "Florida teen expelled and threatened with jail time for having a same sex relationship"

[Skyhilist]

We're not allowed to advocate lowering the age of consent here but we're allowed to empathize with a victim who wouldn't be in this conditions if the "age of consent" laws were different. Makes total sense.

But honestly I really feel for this girl and hope the charges against her are dropped. Signed.

[Sasha]

We're not allowed to advocate lowering the age of consent here but we're allowed to empathize with a victim who wouldn't be in this conditions if the "age of consent" laws were different. Makes total sense.


the problem isnt you (who is i assume a young horny teen who likes to do the nasty with only slightly younger horny teens) the problem is that age on consent threads on this board always within about 3 replies attract nambla-spartacist leage type addults who would like to fuck pre-pubescents or 12/13 year olds. feel free to open any thread you like on universal romeo & julliet laws, no legal danger in that, advocating doing away with any and all age of consent or dropping it down without a romeo & julliet inclussion is. sadly this board/the revolutionary left/the internet/society has shown itself utterly incapable of not fucking up every instant of discussion of this subject, we have better things to get into legal problems over...

[Skyhilist]

Ahh, that's unfortunate but I see what you're getting at. But yeah I of course wouldn't support like 50 year olds with 13 year olds, but when it's 2 younger people within 4-5 years I think it makes no sense to prosecute that especially when it can lead to homophobic shot like this situation

[d3crypt]

Perhaps the law should be that if they are within 4 years of each other it should be legal.

[Invader Zim]

the problem isnt you (who is i assume a young horny teen who likes to do the nasty with only slightly younger horny teens) the problem is that age on consent threads on this board always within about 3 replies attract nambla-spartacist leage type addults who would like to fuck pre-pubescents or 12/13 year olds. feel free to open any thread you like on universal romeo & julliet laws, no legal danger in that, advocating doing away with any and all age of consent or dropping it down without a romeo & julliet inclussion is. sadly this board/the revolutionary left/the internet/society has shown itself utterly incapable of not fucking up every instant of discussion of this subject, we have better things to get into legal problems over...

Agreed. Regarding age of consent laws, I think you can make a case for a lowering provided that some form of anti-nambla element is added to the legislation. For instance, reduce the age of consent to 13 but forbid sexual relationships with an age gap which exceeds, say, three years, until both parties are over 18. Thus, it would still be illegal for even a 17 year old to sleep with a 13 year old, but not for a 14-15 year old. It seems more sensible method dealing with the necessary question of legislating sexual maturation, while still labelling the Jimmy Savile type predators as exactly what they are.

I think that anybody who suggests that say, a 23 year old, should be able to sleep with a 13 year old child is a disgraceful human being or a child of around that age still themselves. And, I don't mean to be 'ageist', but teenagers necessarily have to be considered children from a legal and ethical point of view when it comes to the issue of sex. Any kind of 'romantic' relationship that an individual of my age (27) could possibly have with an individual below the age of 18 is necessarily illegal, because the power in the relationship is firmly stacked in the 27 year olds favour. The 27 year old has greater legal rights, they are almost universally emotionally and intellectually more mature, and financially empowered. And society has to have some form of legislation in place to prevent adults who would abuse that disparity in power in a predatory fashion.

[Anglo-Saxon Philistine]

the problem is that age on consent threads on this board always within about 3 replies attract nambla-spartacist leage type addults who would like to fuck pre-pubescents or 12/13 year olds.

Nice unemotional, unsectarian analysis there, comrade.

[Sasha]

Yup, and firmly rooted in several years of experience too...
Though I would give you 2 out of 10 are anarchist/nambla types

[Craig_J]

My politics teacher (who is btw also a socalist) said he was at some kind of socalist event and he can't rmember how they even arrived at this conversation but this random guy who was talking to him said "I'm telling you, 90 years ago women got the vote, 50 years ago gay people were allowed to have sex with each other. I bet in 30 years time it'll be perfectly normal to sleep with children".

Needless to say my politics teacher replied with absoloute disgust and sitress and quickly removed himself from the man in question. For anyone who thinks it's acceptable I seriously advise you get some counselling and fast.

How anyone could ever hold such a belief is really beyond me.

[Winkers Fons]

This is only a few miles up the road from me. I've already been asked to attend a Free Kate rally that looks like it will be pretty big. A few well known people in the area have been rallying everyone together so there is a lot of local support for Kaitlyn. I'll post again when I get more details.

Edit: It turns out that the ages were in fact 14 and 18 at the start of the relationship. I also read that the younger girl ran away from home after her parents forbade her from seeing Kaitlyn Hunt. Does this change your opinion on the case? How do you think a heterosexual relationship like this would have been handled?

[Decolonize The Left]

This is only a few miles up the road from me. I've already been asked to attend a Free Kate rally that looks like it will be pretty big. A few well known people in the area have been rallying everyone together so there is a lot of local support for Kaitlyn. I'll post again when I get more details.

Edit: It turns out that the ages were in fact 14 and 18 at the start of the relationship. I also read that the younger girl ran away from home after her parents forbade her from seeing Kaitlyn Hunt. Does this change your opinion on the case? How do you think a heterosexual relationship like this would have been handled?

Considering that the issue isn't the age of the individuals involved, but the fact that it was a same-sex relationship, I think it's pretty clear that if this was a heterosexual relationship nothing would have happened.

[Anglo-Saxon Philistine]

Yup, and firmly rooted in several years of experience too...
Though I would give you 2 out of 10 are anarchist/nambla types

Oh, how very generous of you.

So, the only reason members of the ICL, IBT, IG or RR dispute the age of consent laws is because they are all not just paedophiles, but also wannabe child molesters? There is literally no other reason? I don't think I even need to point out how ridiculous this is. Perhaps you should pay attention to other trends on this board, not this imagined NAMBLA-Spart-anarchist (oh god, the last two terms should never be hyphenated together, it isn't natural) conspiracy.

[Sasha]

Sure people can have legitimate reasons to oppose bourgeoisie age of consent laws, the people who go on messageboards to champion the cause outside a broader revolutionairy critique though tend to have not so kosher motives.

[Os Cangaceiros]

Edit: It turns out that the ages were in fact 14 and 18 at the start of the relationship. I also read that the younger girl ran away from home after her parents forbade her from seeing Kaitlyn Hunt. Does this change your opinion on the case? How do you think a heterosexual relationship like this would have been handled?

It sounds like, in this particular case, she's being charged with a crime because the parents of the 14 year old are bigoted & instigated an investigation, according to the OP's article anyway.

But this situation with the criminal charges can and has happened in heterosexual relationships, assuming the parents of the younger party are vindictive enough.

[Devrim]

Edit: It turns out that the ages were in fact 14 and 18 at the start of the relationship. I also read that the younger girl ran away from home after her parents forbade her from seeing Kaitlyn Hunt. Does this change your opinion on the case? How do you think a heterosexual relationship like this would have been handled?

If it were my 14 year-old child who was having a relationship with somebody who was four years older, I would feel quite uncomfortable about it. There is a large difference between the ages of 14 and 18. For me if it were my child in a straight relationship with somebody that much older, I would probably be less relaxed than if it were a gay one. I am not the sort of person who would go running off to the police and calling for prosecutions anyway, but if it were a straight relationship, I would probably try to talk to her about it whereas if it were a gay one, I would probably think something like 'gay teenagers have a hard enough time anyway', and leave it at that.

While not condoning in any way whatsoever what this family has done, I can understand their concern over their daughter being with somebody four years older.


the problem isnt you (who is i assume a young horny teen who likes to do the nasty with only slightly younger horny teens) the problem is that age on consent threads on this board always within about 3 replies attract nambla-spartacist leage type addults who would like to fuck pre-pubescents or 12/13 year olds.

I have virtually no interest in discussing the age of consent, let alone trying to change it, but I imagine that the Spartacist League is not an organisation made up of the people that you describe above, but that they are actually trying to make some political point.

Devrim

[Rugged Collectivist]

Edit: It turns out that the ages were in fact 14 and 18 at the start of the relationship. I also read that the younger girl ran away from home after her parents forbade her from seeing Kaitlyn Hunt. Does this change your opinion on the case? How do you think a heterosexual relationship like this would have been handled?

14 and 18 is a pretty significant difference. I think the treatment a heterosexual couple would receive would vary between parents. It's hard to say "Most would be okay with it" or "most would be opposed"