Free Kate

[Minerva Mouse]

http://www.freekate.net/

Kate's Story

"Kaitlyn is a wonderful girl who is not guilty of anything other than a high school romance, but is being prosecuted for 2 felony counts of “lewd and lascivious battery on a child 12--16 years of age,” because she has a girlfriend.

Kailtyn’s girlfriend’s parents are pressing charges because they are against the same-sex relationship, even though their daughter has stated that this is a consensual relationship. Kaitlyn's girlfriend’s parents blamed Kailtyn for their daughter’s homosexuality and went to the police to have charges brought against her.

Kaitlyn 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.” Now she’s been expelled from school and is facing serious felonies - all because she is in love. If convicted, she could end up in jail or live under house arrest, will have to register as a sex offender, and live her life as a convicted felon.

Our family will do everything we can to stop these people from ruining our daughter’s promising life. This is unjust and unfair - and we need your help to stop it.."



Is anyone following this story? While my heart aches for this girl, my logical brain says, if she were a male they would hang him by his toenails for dating a 14 year old, while 17 (now 15 & 18 ). I receive change.org petitions in my email and I feel that I don't know enough of this story to make an informed decision. I feel very conflicted.

 

[ICF]

http://www.freekate.net/

Kate's Story

Kaitlyn is a wonderful girl who is not guilty of anything other than a high school romance, but is being prosecuted for 2 felony counts of “lewd and lascivious battery on a child 12--16 years of age,” because she has a girlfriend.

Kailtyn’s girlfriend’s parents are pressing charges because they are against the same-sex relationship, even though their daughter has stated that this is a consensual relationship. Kaitlyn's girlfriend’s parents blamed Kailtyn for their daughter’s homosexuality and went to the police to have charges brought against her.

Kaitlyn 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.” Now she’s been expelled from school and is facing serious felonies - all because she is in love. If convicted, she could end up in jail or live under house arrest, will have to register as a sex offender, and live her life as a convicted felon.

Our family will do everything we can to stop these people from ruining our daughter’s promising life. This is unjust and unfair - and we need your help to stop it..



Is anyone following this story? While my heart aches for this girl, my logical brain says, if she were a male they would hang him by his toenails for dating a 14 year old, while 17 (now 15 & 18). I receive change.org petitions in my email and I feel that I don't know enough of this story to make an informed decision. I feel very conflicted.

This story was on the Today show today. My take on it is simply---

If it were an 18 yr old guy with a 14 yr old girl -- the story would be full of outrage of how this evil guy did such a thing to a child and he wouldn't likely have even gotten the plea deal Kate was offered. The guy would be cruicified by many as a child molester.

The Today show story (unless I misheard) said she was a 18 when the "offense" occurred and not 17 and the girl had recently turned 15, but was 14 at the time. The story even referred to a "4 year" age difference.

Do I think the girl should get potentially 15 years in jail for a consensual relationship....no. However, the law is written such as what she did was a crime and if she were a guy, this story would likely have gotten zero press and people wouldn't have started petitions to save him.

 

[sunshinehighway]

I think there do need to be changes. We have this group of teenagers 14-18, in high school together. They interact daily, participate in activities, they are peers.

 

[cabanafrau]

Sexual orientation has no place in the discussion. It's the fact the victim isn't old enough to give consent, plain and simple.

 

[disykat]

A 17 year old with a 14 year old is taking a risk. I don't see homosexuality as an exception to this. It doesn't matter why they think the other parents are pressing charges. It could just have easily been a boy they were pressing charges against.

When my 17 year old son started dating a younger girl you'd better believe we looked up the laws and made sure he would not be vulnerable! When we discussed it with our son, he had already looked it up himself and made sure they were within legal boundaries.

 

[palmbeachmom]

This is the saddest story. I'm just south of Sebastian, so this story has gotten a lot of local airtime, and I am appalled at how it is being handled. These are 2 high school kids, good kids, and this has been turned into something that will haunt both of them for the rest of their lives. I can't believe how the parents of the younger girl are behaving... supposedly they want to protect their daughter, and they do this???

If this was a senior boy and sophmore girl, there would be no issue whatsoever. The fact that the older girl is being dragged through the dirt for having a high school romance with an underclassman of the same sex, and being treated like a sexual predator totally demeans true sexual abuse is!

 

[momto2girls]

I agree with the others. The issue isn't homosexuality; the issue is age. She is just as guilty as she would have been if she were an 18 year old male.

 

[brockash]

This story was on the Today show today. My take on it is simply---

If it were an 18 yr old guy with a 14 yr old girl -- the story would be full of outrage of how this evil guy did such a thing to a child and he wouldn't likely have even gotten the plea deal Kate was offered. The guy would be cruicified by many as a child molester.

The Today show story (unless I misheard) said she was a 18 when the "offense" occurred and not 17 and the girl had recently turned 15, but was 14 at the time. The story even referred to a "4 year" age difference.

Do I think the girl should get potentially 15 years in jail for a consensual relationship....no. However, the law is written such as what she did was a crime and if she were a guy, this story would likely have gotten zero press and people wouldn't have started petitions to save him.

When I first read the story, my first thought was also, wow 18 year old with a 14 year old is a big age difference, however it appears that it was a 17 year old with a 14 year old (they're now, 15 & 18), and for whatever reason, that just doesn't seem as bad to me. Throw in the fact that they were both at the same school, on the same sports team etc., I get how these two ppl. were just peers and only looked at each other as most likely only equals. I think that does make a big difference. I, like OP, feel that I don't have enough info. to make a good educated opinion. I also don't agree with everyone else that if it were a guy with a girl that we'd automatically jump on it. I met my DH when I was 17 and he was 20. -He was in the military, and I was in high school...we met at work (he did it as a 2nd job). Yes, I was older (although same age difference), but we really didn't have anything like high school or sports teams etc. in common either. I'm just not convinced that this girl really did anything morally wrong.

 

[mom22belles]

The article I read stated that this case should have been covered by the 'Romeo and Juliet' law( google it it's a real law) . The 'victims' parents refuse to believe that their daughter could be gay and are going after 'Kate' for turning their daughter gay.

Sorry I am unable to find the link for the article

 

[JoiseyMom]

The situation stinks, but there is an age of consent. Being the mom of 3 boys (and 1 girl), we were very careful and spoke to our older 2 DS's all the time about age limits.

Unless you change the law, teenagers will get into trouble especially when the parent disapproves.

 

[mhsjax]

The article I read stated that this case should have been covered by the 'Romeo and Juliet' law( google it it's a real law) . The 'victims' parents refuse to believe that their daughter could be gay and are going after 'Kate' for turning their daughter gay.

Sorry I am unable to find the link for the article

OMGAWD, YOu can't "turn somebody gay"

 

[LisaR]

I am a huge supporter of gay rights and will stand up for them whenever I can, but I hate that this story is being turned into a "gay thing." An 18 y/o and a 14 y/o engaged in a sexual act. That is illegal. It doesn't matter what their sexual orientation is.

Do I believe the 14 y/o's parents are making this into an issue because they don't want their daughter to be gay? Absolutely. While they seem to be closed minded individuals in that sense, the reality is an 18 y/o engaged in a sexual act with their 14 y/o and they had the right to report it.

The 18 y/o needs to take the plea that is being offered to her, and she needs to make sure she doesn't have sex with anyone who is underage from this point forward. As parents, this is something we need to pound into the heads of our kids. When my nephew was 19, he was in a relationship with a 16 y/o. He was taking a huge chance that she (or her parents) didn't get pissed at him for some reason and report him. Thankfully, that never happened and they have been happily married for years now.

 

[kim929]

If a 14 yr old can be tried as an adult in a court of law, then why can't a 14 yr old consent to sex? How many times have 14 yr olds and even younger say they are older then their true age.

As a previous poster said, the high school ages for students is 14-18 sometimes even 19. If they feel a 14 yr old is to young to be with an 18 yr old they should be separated.

I believe parents freak out when they find out what their child has been doing. Their little darling would never be a lesbian, sleep with someone before marriage so they press charges on the "adult" an 18 yr old who is still just a kid.

I'm not saying I agree with an 18 yr old to date a 14 yr old but I do believe the situation should be on a case to case basis... I would also say that if it was a male 18 yr.

 

[LisaR]

When I first read the story, my first thought was also, wow 18 year old with a 14 year old is a big age difference, however it appears that it was a 17 year old with a 14 year old (they're now, 15 & 18), and for whatever reason, that just doesn't seem as bad to me. Throw in the fact that they were both at the same school, on the same sports team etc., I get how these two ppl. were just peers and only looked at each other as most likely only equals. I think that does make a big difference. I, like OP, feel that I don't have enough info. to make a good educated opinion. I also don't agree with everyone else that if it were a guy with a girl that we'd automatically jump on it. I met my DH when I was 17 and he was 20. -He was in the military, and I was in high school...we met at work (he did it as a 2nd job). Yes, I was older (although same age difference), but we really didn't have anything like high school or sports teams etc. in common either. I'm just not convinced that this girl really did anything morally wrong.

It doesn't matter if they did anything morally wrong. They broke the law. Unfortunately, MANY males on the sex offender list are on there only because they had sex in high school with someone a couple years younger and the parents turned them in. I am in favor of changing the law, but as it stands now, what they did was illegal.

 

[Acklander]

I am a huge supporter of gay rights and will stand up for them whenever I can, but I hate that this story is being turned into a "gay thing." An 18 y/o and a 14 y/o engaged in a sexual act. That is illegal. It doesn't matter what their sexual orientation is.

.

But it is a gay thing. If it was a heterosexual couple they would be covered under the Romeo and Juliet law in Florida. Apparently the law doesn't have the same provisions for a gay couple. That needs to change.

 

[Acklander]

It doesn't matter if they did anything morally wrong. They broke the law. Unfortunately, MANY males on the sex offender list are on there only because they had sex in high school with someone a couple years younger and the parents turned them in. I am in favor of changing the law, but as it stands now, what they did was illegal.

From what I understand males are not on the sex offender list for the exact same thing, due to the Romeo and Juliet law.

 

[SandrA9810]

9 times out of 10, most cases invloving a male an female wouldn't even be looked at by the DA, as the precious poster said, there is a romeo and juliet law to protect teenage romance.

According to the CDC, 12% of women have had same sex contact in their life (many of them are probably straight as an arrow, imo)...
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr036.pdf

 

[tzolkin]

This was my HS, so many of my friends have been posting about this story on facebook.

The article I read stated that this case should have been covered by the 'Romeo and Juliet' law( google it it's a real law) . The 'victims' parents refuse to believe that their daughter could be gay and are going after 'Kate' for turning their daughter gay.

Sorry I am unable to find the link for the article

http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/region...kaitlyn-hunt-case-removes-sex-offender-status

From the article:
The "Romeo and Juliet" law has certain criteria that must be met in order to be applied.

The victim must be at least 14-years-old, have consented to a relationship and the accused can be no more than four years older than their alleged victim.


This would seem most logical to me.

It just seems a bit ridiculous that the second a kid turns 18 everything changes and continuing a relationship with a classmate could destroy their life.

FTR, I am the parent of a 14yo girl and I could not imagine having another high schooler (male or female) arrested because they were dating. I don't believe that just because they turned 18 yesterday that they are somehow magically an "adult" today. To me, they are still the same kids they were when the relationship started.

 

[LisaR]

But it is a gay thing. If it was a heterosexual couple they would be covered under the Romeo and Juliet law in Florida. Apparently the law doesn't have the same provisions for a gay couple. That needs to change.

Without a doubt, the laws need to change!

From what I understand males are not on the sex offender list for the exact same thing, due to the Romeo and Juliet law.

From what they were saying on the local news today, it is all dependent on what the actual charge is. There are males on the sex offender list because they had sex with a teenage minor. From what this lawyer was saying on the news this morning, this is one of those things where it all comes down to working the system. It sucks, but they have gotten males on the same thing.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Sexual orientation has no place in the discussion. It's the fact the victim isn't old enough to give consent, plain and simple.

Exactly.