[quote]A Florida teenager faces criminal charges stemming from her relationship with another young female student.
Kaitlyn Hunt, 18, faces two felony counts of "lewd and lascivious battery on a child 12 to 16" after the parents of her 15-year-old girlfriend pressed charges earlier this year, according to Examiner.
"These people never came to us as parents, never tried to speak to us... and tell us they had a problem with the girls dating," Kaitlyn Hunt's mother, Kelley Hunt-Smith, wrote in an statement posted to Facebook. "...They were out to destroy my daughter. [They] feel like my daughter 'made' their daughter gay."
According to Hunt-Smith, police arrived at the family's home Feb. 16 and put her daughter in handcuffs. Local news website TCPalm.com listed Kaitlyn Hunt's arrest for "lewd and lascivious battery" on Feb. 18, and the girl's mug shot is still easily accessible on the Internet.
But the trouble didn't stop there. The other girl's parents repeatedly tried to have Kaitlyn, a senior, expelled from school. Despite the Sebastian River High School administration's denial of their request, and a judge's order allowing Kaitlyn to remain in school (so long as the girls had no contact), the 15-year-old's parents successfully petitioned the school board to have Hunt removed from school weeks prior to graduation.
According to Hunt-Smith's statement, Kaitlyn attended an "alternative school" for the remainder of her senior year, but will be allowed to attend senior events and graduate from Sebastian River High School. The Huffington Post reached out to Sebastian River High School administration for comment, but requests were not returned as of press time.
Hunt-Smith wrote that the girls had started dating at the beginning of the school year, and that their "mutual consenting relationship" had been known to both parents for months prior to the arrest.
The state attorney's office has offered Kaitlyn Hunt a plea deal which includes two years' house arrest and a year of probation, which would stay on her adult record and limit her career choices, according to Examiner.
Although local media appear to have been largely silent on the case, public outcry over the charges against Kaitlyn Hunt has erupted in an outpouring of support on the Internet.
A Change.org petition urging the Indian River County State Attorney's Office to stop prosecution of Kaitlyn Hunt had drawn more than 30,000 signatures at time of writing. "Free Kate," a Facebook group supporting the girl had amassed more than 10,000 followers.
Internet activist group Anonymous launched #OpJustice4Kaitlyn on May 19, releasing a statement addressed to the Indian River County State Attorney's Office that reads in part:
"Kaitlyn Hunt is a bright young girl who was involved in a consensual, same-sex relationship while both she and her partner were minors. She has a big future ahead of her and there are people, thousands of people in fact, that have no intention of allowing you to ruin it with your rotten selective enforcement."
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[url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/19/kaitlyn-hunt-florida-teen-felony-same-sex_n_3302713.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular]Source[/url]
Before people say "This wasn't about their sexuality, it's about the age" - none of the charges include statutory -blam!- or endangering the welfare of a child - two basic charges for something like this. Also, the fact that the "Victim's" parents knew about this and simply waited until the girl turned 18.
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If the charge was statutory -blam!- or something of the sort, I would see no problem with it, but this is rather silly.
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The parents of the 15 year old blame the older girl for making their daughter gay. That's what the believe. They also tried numerous times to get the older girl expelled from school and waited until she was 18 to press charges. This is a clear case of parents in denial about their daughter liking other girls so they blame the older girl. That's all this is. It's not about age. It's about parents afraid of their daughter liking other girls. For shame.
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You can 'make' someone gay?
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It seems more like the 15 and 18 year old thing then the same sex thing that's -blam!-ing them over. Someone at my school(male) was just convicted for dating a 15 year old. And her parents waited for him to turn 18 as well.
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I wonder if the 15 year old is hot.
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Are they going to arrest every senior now who dates a freshman or sophomore?
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*Sigh* I can't take shit like this anymore. I just... god what the -blam!-? Why can't people just let same-sex couples be happy? I mean Jesus Christ, just let them have their relationship. I bet if it was a heterosexual couple this wouldn't be an issue.
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A backwards attack on a young woman through some bogus system simply because two parents can't deal with their daughter's lesbianism, it's pathetic.
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15 and 18 year olds can date, my parents where 14 and 17 when they met, this is pathetic
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Before they pressed charges did the she think that the other girl's parents liked her?
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Edited by The Ai: 5/20/2013 10:22:53 PMproblem the state would have with charging the 18 year old is that is they have to prove that she had sexual relations with the 15 year old after she turned 18 otherwise their case falls apart and the charges thrown out.If that is the case i can see the parents of the 15 year old being sued for a large amount of money for slander and that kind of thing.
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And people say LGBT hatred isn't a problem...
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If only you could sense if someone was out to get you.
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Moral of the story: Adults should not have sexual relationships with kids not old enough to legally consent.
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It probably doesn't help the "victims" when the parents have blamed Kaitlyn for their daughters homosexuality. You know. Since this isn't about them being gay.
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But it is illegal for an adult to have sexual relations with a minor, no matter the orientation. They have a case.
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Free K. hunt!
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[quote](4) LEWD OR LASCIVIOUS BATTERY.—A person who: (a) Engages in sexual activity with a person 12 years of age or older but less than 16 years of age; or (b) Encourages, forces, or entices any person less than 16 years of age to engage in sadomasochistic abuse, sexual bestiality, prostitution, or any other act involving sexual activity[/quote] Well it sounds like they may have a case.
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The age of consent in Florida is 16, so it was technically criminal regardless of sexual orientation. They'll have to prove they were engaged in sexual activities, which I'm sure will be all sorts of awkward for both parents.
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What despicable parents... Honestly, trying with real effort to ruin the life of a young girl. How pathetic can you be?
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If all I understood from the article is true, the other girl's parents are assholes.
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And what is the problem?
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I have to wonder how this story would be treated if it was a heterosexual relashionship with an older guy. Still, the idea that a consentual relashionship could be against the law is just stupid.
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lolFlorida. Wait... oh shit, I have to get out of here!