Post by riotgrrl on Apr 28, 2006 19:29:43 GMT -5
I was watching Oprah the other day and her guest was a 30 year old woman who had sexual relations with a 13 year old student. They had sex thirty times and had a baby together. Very reminiscent not only of Mary Kay Letourneau (who also had children with and eventually married the student she had sexual relations with) , but also the more recent case of Debra LaFave who had sex with a 14 year old student.
Now Oprah said (and this time she was right) that if she had a male teacher on her show who had sex with a 13 year old female student the audience and the public would want him behind bars for a very long time. But Oprah's female guest only got 30 days in jail!?!? She's on 10 years probation and can't be around children (except her daughter).
What do people think of this double standard? I think the power that an older male teacher holds against a young female student is much greater then the power a female teacher holds against a young male student - but I do think that they are both completely wrong. 13 year old students, no matter if they are male or female are not able to make proper decisions when it comes to having sex with an adult. In my opinion the young boys in these cases, although maybe not physically coerced into sex were certaintly emotionally and mentally abused into thinking that this was the right thing to do. But why do we let the female teacher get off so much easier? Is this right?
Now Oprah said (and this time she was right) that if she had a male teacher on her show who had sex with a 13 year old female student the audience and the public would want him behind bars for a very long time. But Oprah's female guest only got 30 days in jail!?!? She's on 10 years probation and can't be around children (except her daughter).
What do people think of this double standard? I think the power that an older male teacher holds against a young female student is much greater then the power a female teacher holds against a young male student - but I do think that they are both completely wrong. 13 year old students, no matter if they are male or female are not able to make proper decisions when it comes to having sex with an adult. In my opinion the young boys in these cases, although maybe not physically coerced into sex were certaintly emotionally and mentally abused into thinking that this was the right thing to do. But why do we let the female teacher get off so much easier? Is this right?
