Gay Teen Jailed - Was the Sentence Discriminatory?

[lavender]

 

[Lasher]

Explain to me how jailing someone for performing gay oral sex makes sense...

What exactly do they think happens in prison?????

Do they figure it'll be easier for him to find dates there???

 

[lavender]

 

[Bidin~Time]

I can't believe I'm saying this but.......

I agree with the ACLU on this one, no difference should be made because of gender. And to take the point one step further, if it is consentual why should the legal system be involved to begin with?

That young man got a bad deal and should be released.

 

[peachykeen]

This is very sad.

 

[Monazwx]

The perpetrator was 18 and the 'victim' was 14, so there should be some jail time,
but the difference in sentencing just because of gender is so wrong.

Hope his appeal is successful.

 

[sexy-girl]

Explain to me how jailing someone for performing gay oral sex makes sense...

What exactly do they think happens in prison?????

Do they figure it'll be easier for him to find dates there???

i think that's a stereotype although i know you were just been funny but i wanted to point it out

why does the stereotype exist i mean maybe the two boys were in love and in an exclusive relationship


17 year sentence is just disgusting i mean first off 17 still is a kid really himself but 17 years people don't get that for murder people don't get that for rape

i guess it depends on the circumstances but he might not of got a jail sentence at all if it was a m/f relationship

 

[Bidin~Time]

The perpetrator was 18 and the 'victim' was 14, so there should be some jail time,
but the difference in sentencing just because of gender is so wrong.

Hope his appeal is successful.

I'm not trying to be argumentative Mona, but we're talking about 2 high school kids. How many senior boys date sophomore (and younger) girls? In alot of the cases they are sexually active couples. Does your statement also apply to them?

 

[sexy-girl]

You know, last year I was on a reading kick in law journals about the plight of GLBTT youth. It's really sad to know that the instance of suicide for GLBTT youth is 3 times higher than for heterosexual youth. It is also sad to hear that GLBTT youth have a much higher instance of running away, being on their own, and even prostituting themselves in order to survive.

Or then there are the lucky ones who don't get kicked out. The parents believe that these teens simply have a disease and so they send them to the shrink and sometimes even to the mental hospital. Or maybe they can undergo Christian counseling to un-gayify them.

Our society sickens me quite often.

i was extremely lucky with my friends and families reaction with coming out but its still hard and confusing you do feel the weight of going against being "normal" i know being a teen and going through puberty is hard even if you're straight so im not trying to say im special

but i can't imagine what it must be like to deal with all of you inner turmoil's but then also to have to deal with a negative homophobic response from your family and friends

 

[Guest]

The dude will make a small fortune in the pen.

 

[ma_guy]

Matthew Limon is appealing a 17-year prison sentence he got for performing consensual oral sex with a nearly-15-year-old male. Limon, who had turned 18 only a week before the incident, would have been sentenced to a maximum of 15 months if he and his partner had been members of the opposite sex, because the “Romeo and Juliet Law” applies only to heterosexuals.

“Matthew Limon’s sentence isn’t different because of what he did – it’s only different because of who he is,” said Tamara Lange, a staff attorney with the ACLU’s Lesbian and Gay Rights Project, which represents Limon. “We aren’t asking to change age-of-consent laws or to reduce sentences for sexual contact with minors, but we do believe that the law should apply equally to everyone.”

I'd agree the provision in the law that restricts it's application to hetrosexual activity is stupid and wrong the but I'll also mention here that the ACLU statement is a little bit misleading.

The differences in the 17 year and 15 month sentences aren't "only different" based on him being gay. He also had prior sexual misconduct convictions which affected his sentencing. The 15 month maximum in the "Romeo and Juliet" law doesn't apply when there is a prior record.

If he hadn't had the prior juvinile record then the maximum he could have gotten would have been 6 years - still unfair but it points out the the bulk of his sentence was due to his prior record here.

 

[Lasher]

i think that's a stereotype although i know you were just been funny but i wanted to point it out

It was a form of humor, but not necessarily meant to be "ha ha" funny.

The "gay prison sex" thing may be a bit of a stereotype, but I do believe there is gay sex in prison.

Mostly I was just pointing out the irony of sentencing someone to spend time in a place known for gay sex because he had gay sex.

Btw, Good Job by Mona to point this out... The way it's worded if you read this real quickly it sounds like it's a 17 year old being jailed for having sex with a 15 year old...

Matthew Limon is appealing a 17-year prison sentence he got for performing consensual oral sex with a nearly-15-year-old male. Limon, who had turned 18 only a week before the incident


People will try anything to make you feel sympathetic to their cause.

 

[lavender]

 

[sexy-girl]

It was a form of humor, but not necessarily meant to be "ha ha" funny.

The "gay prison sex" thing may be a bit of a stereotype, but I do believe there is gay sex in prison.

Mostly I was just pointing out the irony of sentencing someone to spend time in a place known for gay sex because he had gay sex.

yeah i got what you meant but i meant that not all gay men would want sex in prison ... but anyway i know im just making something out of nothing sorry

 

[ma_guy]

ma guy, what was his prior offense?

I'm still searching on that. I found references to it in several places, one being:
http://www.sodomylaws.org/usa/kansas/ksnews19.htm

I'll keep looking!

 

[lavender]

 

[Monazwx]

Goddess emi,

There are tons of sexually active couples where one person is a minor, however, eighteen is where the law draws the line and the older party needs to be aware of that and respect it. No matter how mature they both are, the girl (or guy) is, they're still going out with a minor.

Jail time is harsh, maybe Limon would be better served with community service, but ADULTS should not be having sex with minors and if the relationship is serious, they'll wait and be commited without the sex.

The number of underage girls becoming pregnant by adults is disturbing and I don't have any issue with underage guys of any sexual persuasion being involved in an adult/minor relationship.

 

[The Heretic]

I can see the older kid maybe having something like that go on his record, or maybe even serving a small bit of jail time since the younger kid was 14 (almost 15), but 17 years?? Hello Toto - we aren't in Kansas anymore - well okay, maybe we are. Maybe 6 months at most. What crap.

I do think that with some people (many) the defense may have a bit of a tough time with the argument that it wasn't what he did, but who he was - to many people homosexual oral sex is quite different from heterosexual oral sex, but hopefully the defense will not have to deal with a jury (appeals only go before judges right?) and may stand a better chance with that argument.

I also have to wonder whether there was a mandatory sentencing law in effect, or if the trial judge was just a total asshole.

 

[Angel]

.

The number of underage girls becoming pregnant by adults is disturbing .

The number of underage girls becoming pregnant by underaged males is also disturbing.

 

[Guest]

lavender, shouldn't you be making a statement rather than asking a stupid question?

 

[ma_guy]

Lavy - Limon is apparently mentally deficient as well has having everything else going on. His prior conviction was for "Criminal Sodomy":" 2 years earlier.

You might want to look at: http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/4810/Queerlaw/Limon.html

 

[lavender]

 

[Mz_Scarlett]

I am totally horrified by this- I can't believe this what that poor boy is going through

 

[lavender]

 

[Bidin~Time]

Goddess emi,

There are tons of sexually active couples where one person is a minor, however, eighteen is where the law draws the line and the older party needs to be aware of that and respect it. No matter how mature they both are, the girl (or guy) is, they're still going out with a minor.

Jail time is harsh, maybe Limon would be better served with community service, but ADULTS should not be having sex with minors and if the relationship is serious, they'll wait and be commited without the sex.

The number of underage girls becoming pregnant by adults is disturbing and I don't have any issue with underage guys of any sexual persuasion being involved in an adult/minor relationship.

Mona,
I agree with you on all the issues you brought up. My point is, would the parent of the "almost 15 yr old boy" have been upset enough to bring charges if his partner had been an 18 yr old girl?

emi