A news report in Florida’s Sun Sentinel’s June 7 edition captioned “Police: Teacher, minor had sex” was a startling reminder of the gross sexism buried in the state’s criminal justice system.
The arresting police officer explained that the sex was “consensual”, and the teacher was charged with “unlawful sexual activity with a minor”, the “minor” aged 15 and the teacher, 38. Had the 38 year-old been male and the student female, he would have been arrested for rape instead of the lesser charge. The teacher, who had for over a year had sex with her student at home while her husband was away at work, has joined the league of females who have become predators in their classrooms. Her day in court is pending.
In a bizarre New Jersey courtroom scene, after a 43 year-old teacher pleaded guilty to having sex with her 13 year-old charge, the Superior Court Judge shocked the court by declaring: “I really don’t see the harm that was done here, and certainly society doesn’t need to be worried. I do not believe she is a sexual predator.” The Judge continued, “It’s just something between two people that clicked beyond the teacher-student relationship.”
But it seemed something just wasn’t clicking in the brain of that Judge. What could have inspired such a proclamation? And what healthy relationship could have “clicked” between the woman of 43 and her 13 year-old student?Court transcripts of the Judge’s summation revealed the rationale behind the Judge’s amazing clemency: “I don’t see anything here that shows this young man has been psychologically damaged by her actions. And don’t forget, this was mutual consent. Now certainly under the law, he is too young to legally consent, but that’s what the law says. Some of the legislators should remember when they were that age. Maybe these ages have to be changed a little bit.”
Ergo, the female teacher cannot really be blamed for having sex with a minor who wanted it, and in the face of unrealistic statutory rape laws, the age of consent should be lowered. The sentence was shocking but expected: no jail time, just all of five years probation.
The incidents of teacher-student sexual abuse are alarmingly on the increase. But what has caused this epidemic?
Females cry foul when the law discriminates against them. Why have the males remained silent?
