August 03, 2004

Um..it's still rape.

Is anyone else disturbed by the tone of the media coverage about Mary Kay Letourneau's release?

As you may recall, Letourneau was a then-34-year-old teacher who had sex with her then-13-year-old student, ultimately producing two daughters, who are now 5 and 7.

Amid speculation about whether she will "re-unite" with her victim, to "resume their relationship" and other such babble, I am struck by the disconnect between the nature of the crime (clearly statutory rape) and the public and media response.

As Tracy Johnson so stunningly understates it in her Seattle Post-Intelligencer article today:
It was a crime that sparked widespread debate about a possible double standard for a sex offender who some said wouldn't have garnered any sympathy if she were a man and the victim were an adolescent girl.
A possible double standard? I think had Letourneau been a man, someone would have tried to kill him, prior to or during imprisonment. Not to mention the idea of "resuming a relationship" would spark a riot.

What do you think, readers? Why the difference in treatment? Is it gender alone? The fact that they have children together?

Email or comments appreciated, as I'm perplexed.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's gender alone. If a man was released from prison and immediately tried to resume a relationship with a girl he'd raped when she was a 6th grader, the man would be put back in prison. Feminists would riot in the streets. Instead, because she's a woman, she's getting a free ride to victimize this kid again (yes, I know he's 21 now).

2:28 AM  

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