Honor Student Expelled and Charged

[Andara Bledin]

If you swapped the gender around, people would be clamoring for it and the guy would more than likely get off scot-free.

Actually, "prosecutors and defense attorneys alike say the charges against Hunt would have happened whether she was gay or straight." Which means that had she been a boy, nothing would have changed, except the possibility that the other girl's parents wouldn't have reported it. Though the basketball coach could have.

Source: Tampa Bay Times

Charles Lambert, a Tampa attorney who has handled several of these cases, including a same-sex relationship involving boys, said "some attorneys were debating this yesterday and the general consensus was that we don't see a big difference in how these cases are prosecuted based on gender or sexuality."

[s_stabeler]

there are two reasons why people say it would ruin the girl's life: a) unless the conviction was sealed/whatever, she would have to declare, for the rest of her life, on any employment application, that she had been convicted of havign sex with someboyd under the age of consent. That is going to amke it difficult for her to regain her life aftre this, b) it's not clear if she would need to go on the sex offender's register or not. If she does, her life is probably ruined.

in short, seal the conviction so it doesn't have to be disclosed to a future employer, guarantee the girl doesn't have to go on the sex offender's register, and the plea deal is largely fair.

[Andara Bledin]

While the plea still involves a felony conviction, it's unlikely that it would result in her being placed on the SOR (sex offender's registry).

As for that felony following her, except for the most head-in-the sand employers, it's already going to follow her. Her parents have raised such a huge ruckus that people in other countries recognize her name. The charges and the debates will be enshrined on the Internet for the foreseeable future. Her parents ensured that even if she were to be acquitted of all charges, she's still going to be the girl that was arrested for having sex with a 14-year-old.

Unfortunately, in the state of Florida, convicted felons (and she will be convicted, and likely of a felony of some degree) must petition to have their voting rights restored after waiting 5 years after completion of their sentence and no new arrests. For sexual offenses, that period goes up to 7 years and requires a hearing.

[Rageaholic]

What gets me about this is that the parents waited until the girl turned 18 to charge her. Then they jump to petty punitive actions when (as far as I know) there was no sexual abuse involved.

I could understand the outrage had she been 25 instead of 18, but at 18, they both go to the same school.

[Andara Bledin]

What gets me about this is that the parents waited until the girl turned 18 to charge her. Then they jump to petty punitive actions when (as far as I know) there was no sexual abuse involved.

From every article that addresses it, other than hearsay from the mother of the elder, the other girl's parents reported it as soon as they were made aware.

It's not like they were together for a long time. Their first encounter was in a school bathroom in November and the arrest was made in February after the coach learned they were an item and called the other's parents. That the elder turned 18 during that period is merely happenstance and has no more bearing than their sexuality.

Also, it's worth noting that just because the younger girl wanted to do it and enjoyed doing it, that does not necessarily mean that there wasn't abuse. The law is designed to account for the fact that kids that young really don't have the first clue how such things will affect them.

I had sex young. Rather younger than the other girl in this case. It wasn't obvious at the time, but from the other side, I know that it really screwed with my ability to deal with my own personal sexuality. It took me about a decade after becoming an adult to really come to terms with how it had changed me. It's for things like that that such laws exist.

[Greenday]

If you swapped the gender around, people would be clamoring for it and the guy would more than likely get off scot-free.

Or they'd be demanding he spend a lot of time in jail for being a sick rapist taking advantage of some poor young girl.

[Ginger Tea]

That can vary depending on 'his' standing in the pecking order at school.
We've seen what star players can get away with, or at least have a local blind eye turned to even if the media is focused intensely on them.

If it was a gay relationship he would no doubt be crucified, perhaps even turned in by his own parents, Lesbians and Gay men can and will be treated differently, either the sex shop worker at CS or a not always right poster had a bigot denounce homosexuality whilst browsing the lesbian section with a selection in his hands to purchase.

[Andara Bledin]

Are you talking general opinoin, media opinion, or the actions of the courts? Your statements are so broad as to lose meaning entirely.

[kibbles]

I was suggesting just that actually. Because this is only illegal by virtue of being in Florida. Like I said before, their relationship IS legal in Canada. In Canada its a 5 year spread if you're 14. So 14/18 would not be an issue.

I gotta agree with you Gravekeeper..it seems to be an outdated law used primarily by spiteful parents IMO.

[Ginger Tea]

Well I was using Studenbale (sp) as an example, if those people were not on a sports team would they have been shielded as much by the town?

Although they wouldn't have been on the same sports team, if they hooked up due to some other out of class school project that the coach happened to be a part of, would he have minded if an 18 year old boy was seen kissing a 14 year old girl, I'm assuming he didn't see the girls in question scissoring or anything blatant, but I might have missed whatever post or article stating what s/he actually saw, I've been mentally thinking he (and typed it a few times already) but it's a girls sports team so normally they end up being female coaches don't they?

I'm just wondering if in the whole what if it was an 18 year old boy with a 14 year old girl, yes the lawyers are saying it matters not if the boy is the youngest, but for the law to be involved, they have to be alerted.
Would those involved intervened if one was male, more so if the male was the youngest.
Cue southpark nice clip.

edit:
As stated before, in the UK it would be rare for an 18 year old to be around 14 year olds as they would be leaving school around the time they are entering the 2nd year, maybe 1st for those on the other half of the academic year regarding birthdays, so if this was the UK it would be eyebrow raising and of some concern, but you stay in school two years more than we do and the team they met through is from mixed years, I'm not even sure if our football team did that or if we had one for each year.

[Andara Bledin]

I'm just wondering if in the whole what if it was an 18 year old boy with a 14 year old girl, yes the lawyers are saying it matters not if the boy is the youngest, but for the law to be involved, they have to be alerted.

I don't know the laws about reporting requirements for this type of incident or how they work in Florida, but it's possible that the coach actually didn't have a choice regarding reporting it. I have friends who are teachers, and they can be held responsible for a surprising and disturbing number of things if they don't report them, and apparently lack of knowing isn't a defense.

Here's something worth noting: Apparently, they didn't begin the relationship until after the elder turned 18. She turned 18 in August, and the relationship didn't start until September, with the consummation in November.

So now everything that her parents have been claiming is thrown into question. Stupid liars. Don't they understand how this damages their credibility and the good will that people have thrown behind their daughter?

Source: Examiner.com
Corroberation: Huffington Post UK

[Ginger Tea]

That is not an option I had considered, that you could end up in the shit for something you once saw but kept quiet about, I don't think many teachers would take a bullet for a student, very few in the UK I'm sure, in this day and age they have to be vigilant about not being painted as a sexual predator just for talking to a child after class.

[MadMike]

All I can say is, I hope that when this girl turns 18, she walks away from those parents of hers, and wants nothing to do with them for the rest of their lives. It would serve them right.

[Gravekeeper]

They rejected the plea deal.

Looks like its only a difference of 3 months that make this legal or illegal between the two of them as well. So now the 14 year old will have to take the stand and the prosecution will basically have to convince the jury that she's been psychologically damaged by a 3 month difference.

If she accepted the plea deal:

LaBahn told CNN that a felony child abuse conviction would mean that Hunt would have to disclose her felony conviction on employment applications and she could never serve on a jury. She would be prohibited from voting for a period of time, though each state has different time frames for that rule, the attorney said. She may not be able to secure student loans either, he said, and she might not be allowed to adopt or obtain a childcare license.

So yeah the plea deal would ruin her life even if she wasn't on the sex offenders list.

It also looks like the 14 year old rebelled and ran away after her parents came down on her for the relationship. Which is what prompted them to call the cops.