Triggering: 17 year-old boy charged with statutory rape. 17 year-old girl charged with less

[DoesThisLookInfected?]

The Teen Rape Double Standard - The Daily Beast

So what do you think? Do you think guys are put at a different standard as girls when it relates to sex.

[thebigmole]

Wait I'm confused how was it statutory if they were still minors themselves?

[DoesThisLookInfected?]

Originally Posted by thebigmole

Wait I'm confused how was it statutory if they were still minors themselves?

In Wisconsin, I believe the age of consent is 16. If you're over that and you sleep with someone under that, you can be arrested for statutory rape.

[Pelios]

This could ruin him for life forever.
The government and school make it "ok' to have sex. ou can go to a family planning and get birth control or an abortion without your parents knowing, but you go to jail and get marked for life as a predator if you have sex with your girlfriend/boyfriend?
Something is not right here...

[Casey.]

I don't think there should be different standards, no. They should be treated equally. It sounds like gender discrimination to me.

[Union Of V]

Statutory rape also describes consensual sex between 2 minors, although over here if it's established that the two are going out the gardaí won't file a case on the grounds that it'd do more harm than good. It's really just to speed up rape cases involving teenagers.

Sadly those who make the decisions involving teenagers haven't been within a foot of one in years. As always.

[thebigmole]

I've never really liked the statutory rape rules. I think there needs to be a bigger gap between the ages. Like 5 years. Because this guy might have to register as a sex offender for having sex with his girlfriend, that's just ridiculous and it will ruin his life.

[Blackwing]

Wow he does not need to be registered as a sex offender stop wasting time with teenagers and get the real offenders

[delilah]

uh how the hell did he get reported anyway? im always really curious about these girlfriend/boyfriend statuary rape cases..i mean did the gf just get spitefull and feel like dobbing him in?

[Dasha]

The parents most likely told. That's how it most always works out, otherwise it probably would have been rape and not just statutory. It sucks that it works like this, that poor guy is going to have to deal with this the rest of his life.

[Gidig]

Yeah. It entirely depends though. Like, I think the rules in our area are fair enough. If not too wide. If you're 14 or younger, you can't have a relationship with someone four years or older, and if you're 15, 16, or 17 you can't have a relationship with someone ten years or older. Which means it's legal for a 15 year old to have a relationship with a 24 year old, which isn't usually safe. Though I do have to admit, some relationships with that age are okay. But it's a RARE few.

[DoesThisLookInfected?]

In Michigan, if you're under 16, you can't have sex.

[WhySoSerious?]

*sigh* this whole thing seems stupid to me. That's the same age gap me and my boyfriend had when we met, I don't see the problem with age differences in having sex? Unless the person is like 10 years older or something.

I agree with Zack, why the hell are they wasting the time sticking their noses into the sex lives of two consenting teens (even if they're underage) when they could be dealing with real offenders? If they want to arrest someone, try a 50 year old who rapes a 12 year old.

In response to the question of the thread, it does seem a bit unfair that the boy was treated so harshly compared to the girl. Especially as I find a girl dating a younger guy much more concerning, because most girls date older guys because of maturity... a 14 year old girl is much more mature than a 14 year old boy, so a 17 year old girl would seem more like a case for statutory rape if you were to file one.

Either way, the punishment is too severe. But I would think if anything, in this situation, the 17 year old girl should have gotten the stronger sentencing than the guy.

(P.S: was anyone else kind of alarmed by the mention of 11/12 year olds having sex? :S)

[DoesThisLookInfected?]

Originally Posted by WhySoSerious?

Either way, the punishment is too severe. But I would think if anything, in this situation, the 17 year old girl should have gotten the stronger sentencing than the guy.

Why should the girl get the stronger sentence? That's still sexist.

[Magicalisland]

I think they were harsh on the boy. I also agree that charges like his should really be for older men and not 17 year olds (they're only just over the age of consent themselves). I do, however, think that men should get slightly higher statutory rape sentences because they cannot get pregnant and women can.

[thebigmole]

Originally Posted by Magicalisland

I think they were harsh on the boy. I also agree that charges like his should really be for older men and not 17 year olds (they're only just over the age of consent themselves). I do, however, think that men should get slightly higher statutory rape sentences because they cannot get pregnant and women can.

I don't understand what getting pregnant has to do with statutory rape. The sex is consensual in such cases and the girl no matter what age is aware of the risk she is taking.

[udontno]

Originally Posted by EDGE

Wow he does not need to be registered as a sex offender stop wasting time with teenagers and get the real offenders

I sort of agree with this. When you are a teenager, you screw up. Having sex with your boyfriend/girlfriend who is a couple of years younger and having to register as a sex offender for that for the REST of your life is just wrong.

[thebigmole]

Now that I've read the whole article, it just really pisses me off. He didn't even know that his girlfriend was 14 she told him and the police that she was 16. The girl however knew the age of her boyfriend and had slept with him many more times than the boy had slept with his girlfriend. Then there was the story about the 14 year old, I mean yeah the girls he slept with were young but they consented, they were involved too yet because they are girls they get off scott free, that's just stupid.

[WashoutThePain]

Originally Posted by EDGE

Wow he does not need to be registered as a sex offender stop wasting time with teenagers and get the real offenders

We just had a presentation on sex offenders (well the really bad ones) and this poor kid is nothing like them... He was just having fun with his girlfriend, who clearly consented. Gah, who knows what will happen with this poor kid. "Sex offender" isn't the best title to have on a college application =\ And I agree, we should be spending more time finding those who are hurting other girls, rather than making a big deal over two teens.

[asphyxiated]

Thats totally gender biased. I feel kinda bad for the guy.

[WhySoSerious?]

Originally Posted by DoesThisLookInfected?

Why should the girl get the stronger sentence? That's still sexist.

I don't think either of them should have a strong sentence at all, just by comparison I meant.

I'm not intending it to be sexist, I'm sort of just judging it based on how this particular situation looks to me... but I'm not a judge so I can't say But I'm not trying to say that every single time a girl comes up in court over something like this, that she should instantly have a harsher sentence. I think everyone should approach the courtroom equal and the circumstances determine how people are sentenced.

[Exelus]

Originally Posted by lost-myself

We just had a presentation on sex offenders (well the really bad ones) and this poor kid is nothing like them... He was just having fun with his girlfriend, who clearly consented. Gah, who knows what will happen with this poor kid. "Sex offender" isn't the best title to have on a college application =\ And I agree, we should be spending more time finding those who are hurting other girls, rather than making a big deal over two teens.

WOW. I didn't even think of that... This is horrible.

This kid is going to be labeled as a sex offender for the rest of his life now, for having consentual sex with his girlfriend who LIED to him AND the police. How is this his bad? It's barely his fault. What do you want him to do, demand ID? If you can prove it's his fault, explain how its his BAD. How is this deserving of a jail sentence? The girl doesn't have a problem with it, so there should be no problem.

If he's convicted, he'll have to walk around to every neighbor's house when he moves into a new house and announce that he's a registered sex offender. This is stupid.

[Blackwing]

Which is why he shouldn't be labeled as a sex offender.