Judge Gives Teacher Who Had Sex With Student 30 Days, Calls Her 'Dangling Candy'

[KamaAina]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/05/teacher-sex-30-days-candy_n_7006672.html

A Pennsylvania wife and former teacher was referred to as "dangling candy" by the judge who gave her just 30 days for the statutory rape of a teen.

Erica Ann Ginnetti, 35, was arrested in January in Lower Moreland after police were tipped off when the victim showed photos and videos of the woman to his classmates. According to court records, the photos included images of Ginnetti in a bikini, and others in just her underwear or thong. A video sent to the teen showed her undressing in a "sexually charged manner."...

At her sentencing hearing last Friday, Ginnetti cried in court while reading a letter of apology. The judge then compared explicit photos of the woman to "dangling candy" in front of her victim, the Bucks County Courier Time reports.

“What young man would not jump on that candy?” Page said.

[FreakinDJ]

1. 30 yrs for Men - 30 days for Women

[KamaAina]

2. Your point?

Mine was that a judge made a salacious comment from the bench.

[Logical]

4. You really miss the point? Really? Or being clever? nt

[FreakinDJ]

6. Where is the outrage for a 30 day sentence

I see - its ok when a woman does it

[lumberjack_jeff]

117. Interesting, no?

The judge said something impolite to the rapist. That, and not the 30 day sentence, make it discussion-worthy.

[AgingAmerican]

75. Doh!

nt

[HereSince1628]

125. I can understand that your view when posting is different but I'm surprised

that when it's pointed out you don't see it at all.

I think you should try again to understand what others see as obvious in your post.

THen you can answer whether this is due to the glare of the brightness of the story preventing noticing what is obvious or whether perhaps there is a vision problem?

[Trillo]

3. My thoughts as well. NT

[seabeyond]

7. i dunno.... a man raped a 3 yr old girl and got ten. a soccer coach raped a 16 yr old and got

nothing. i am thinking you do not have the facts on your side, just an assumption voiced.

[KamaAina]

10. Thank you!

It's as discouraging to see misogyny around here as it is homophobia.

[Jenoch]

40. Simply suggesting that the sentence in this case

is too short is in no way misogyny. If you believe that, you really need to take some time for self-examination.

[KamaAina]

41. The first reply went straight to gender

[Major Nikon]

13. In teacher-student sex cases, men average longer jail terms

[font color="black" size="5" face="face"]In teacher-student sex cases, men average longer jail terms, newspaper analysis reveals[/font]

When Erica DePalo walks out of the courthouse today having admitted to a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old English student, she will likely leave a parole enrollee.

No jail time.

And no community service.

...

Critics have called the punishment for the former Essex County teacher of the year too lenient and reflective of a double standard that disproportionately penalizes men for similar relationships with students.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/04/a_look_at_teacher-student_sex.html

[seabeyond]

20. 2.4 yr to 1.6 yrs. .... ya. kinda proved how exaggerated the 30 day/30 yr comment was. right?

[Major Nikon]

30. Not everyone gets hyperbole

Just sayin'

[seabeyond]

34. ah. didnt get the answer you can fight about so you have to take it to a jab?

[Major Nikon]

47. Meh

You took something literally that was never intended to be taken literally. If you don't like having that pointed out, you might want to consider improving your reading between the line skills. There's volumes of information you're missing out on.

[dsc]

68. that isn't totally accurate

there was also a discrepancy in the percentage who got jail time. Men were also more likely to go to jail and the average is of those who did go to jail.

[seabeyond]

91. yes, by a mere 10% which also did not include the vast difference in the number of men that commit

the crime as opposed to the number of women, so i felt that pretty much a wash, not adding that statistic.

[dsc]

93. the number who commit the crime is irrelevent to that percentage

for the record men out numbered women 3 to 1 in the case study. Given how female centered teaching is I would think the numbers are likely correct or quite close.

[seabeyond]

95. it absolutely is significant, seeing how we are talking the number actually doing time.

with the vast majority suffering NO repercussions what so ever.

[dsc]

98. No it isn't

the percentage was the percent of those who pled or got convicted who went to jail. Women who got convicted were significantly less likely to go to jail than men who got convicted. On top of that they got significantly shorter sentences when they did go to jail. Maybe men are less likely to get charged than women (though I frankly doubt it) but that would have not one whit to do with this statistic.

[seabeyond]

99. 6 months is not significant. and not in the findings is are women being charged and prosecuted

easier that all the many men getting caught and not charged.

ya

i think that matters.

[dsc]

100. men outnumbered women three to one in the study

it is right at the link. Men make up less than half of high school teachers, less than a fifth of elementary and middle school teachers. http://www.menteach.org/resources/data_about_men_teachers

So that means that men are considerably more likely to be charged than women. Now I do know they are considerably more likely to commit the crime too so these numbers might well be in line.

As to the other point. They go to jail one and a half times as long. I think both sets of sentences are too short but 50% longer is hardly insignificant.

[lumberjack_jeff]

115. 6 months is 6 times the amount to which the teacher in the OP was sentenced.

Insignificant? YMMV.

[NaturalHigh]

24. I'm not familiar with the soccer coach case.

The guy who raped the 3-year-old girl should be doing life without parole.

None of that changes the fact that male teachers consistently get harsher sentences than female teachers for sex with underage students.

[seabeyond]

31. per majors statistics, all of 6 months. but hey dude..... i will stand up for this child like i

consistently stand up for ALL our children abused by adults.

lets not exaggerate though. 30 days to 30 yrs? i called that shit out.

[Rex]

11. That's because men are not thought of as 'dangling candy', if so we would get 30 days.

You are correct, a male sexist mindset helped this woman only get 30 days.

[seabeyond]

17. a male sexist mindset helped this woman only get 30 days.

that is the point.

[Rex]

19. That was my point.

We have some very unfit judges in this country that need to be removed from the bench.

[seabeyond]

22. and if she is raped, does he turn that to... how could he help with that dangling candy in front of

him.

judges should be above ALL this inappropriate bullshit.

[Rex]

28. IF she was raped, the judge would say she deserved it and would let her rapists off easy imo.

The 'dangling candy' part is very revealing in how the male judge views women imo.

[seabeyond]

37. that is how i see it rex. he would be another i checked his ruling history. nt

[sub.theory]

38. Completely Agree

This judge clearly has some serious issues with how he views women and is unquestionably a rape apologist. He is unfit for the bench.

[Rex]

49. HE assigned a term that we use for objects...candy...so he turned her into nothing more than a desk

or lamp. Sick. Sad. Wrong.

[Major Nikon]

23. Correct, they are thought of as "creepy" and "dirty old men"

While the male victims are regarded as not being victims at all.

[Rex]

36. SO true! The male victim is now a 'stud' and has bragging rights etc..

NEVERMIND the fact that the article states he now has problems socially and academically. Our society values machismo over all other things imo. We EXPECT him to be happy with how things turned out...because he got laid by a 'hot chick' etc..

I wonder if our society will ever outgrow that double standard?

[boston bean]

51. I agree to some extent, but you know as well as I do that women

have problems with the courts and system in place to be taken seriously regarding rape.

Just wanted to point that out... cause as the person you respond to seems to mean that women have it way easier... they don't.

[Rex]

54. Oh sure, if this would have been a case where she was raped and in front of this judge

he would have called her 'eye candy' and said she deserved it. People in this thread should not mistake his actions as those that were meant to benefit the lady...far from it. His actions derive from a male mindset that I have detested almost all my life.

[boston bean]

55. It's fricken twisted, isn't it. You are doing a good job of

articulating it!

[Rex]

69. Thanks. It is completely fucked up, more so coming from a judge.

Thankfully my parents had a great deal of respect for each other. A few uncles and cousins, let's just say 'chasing their wife around drunk with a gun' uncles and cousins. Women were never allowed to be anything but objects like a desk or a chair. It was alarming since my parents were not that way at all and so many were.

[Major Nikon]

56. Do you really think males have it better in that regard?

[boston bean]

57. No, I do not.

[seabeyond]

39. "male victims are regarded as not being victims at all." by MOSTLY men. glad you are on board. nt

[Major Nikon]

52. Nothing quite like pulling stats out of thin air

With a bit of strawman thrown in for good measure.

[mercuryblues]

124. spot on

Whenever a case like this hits my local newsfeed, the comments from men are appalling. They will wonder where that teacher was when they were in school. Several will say the kid must be gay for not enjoying it. There will always be comments about how hot the teacher is and imply because of her looks it could not have been rape. Not to forget the standard he has bragging rights comments.

The double standard isn't usually perpetuated by women. Just look at the judge, the woman was eye candy and should not be held to the same standards as an unattractive woman. There is definitely not a double standard where sentencing is concerned. How many times has it been posted where the male gets a light sentence for rape of a female. I have a feeling the male judge diminishes and does not take rape seriously as a whole, whether the victim is male or female. He is the type of judge that should not be sitting on a bench or allowed through the metal detectors at the court house.

Just yesterday a thread about Letourneau where posters were defending MKL because, you know she ended up marrying her 12 year old victim. Vili Fualaau's depression and alcoholism is a result of being forcibly separated from her, not being raped at 12. My favorite was comparing rape to golf and the jury letting that rape apologist post stand.

[cyberswede]

71. The patriarch hurts men as well as women. nt

[Major Nikon]

80. Agreed

[Chemisse]

50. Exactly. You see this all the time, and it is sexist.

If it is wrong to rape a minor child, it is wrong for a man to do it and it is wrong for a woman to do it.

Sexism drives these kinds of sentence discrepancies. Here is what I think these judges are thinking:

A young girl is innocent and persuaded to do something very bad by a predatory adult man. The girl has been tarnished forever.

A young boy is dying to have sex with anyone and simply couldn't resist the slightly naughty adult woman. The boy 'got lucky.'

[Oneironaut]

78. This isn't inequality favoring women. It's a terrible injustice in a country that

doesn't take women seriously. Our culture still assumes that women must be "taken" by men.

This is all creepy and perverted. It's wildly inappropriate for a judge to say.

[Sparhawk60]

81. Female Privlage

Female privilege in action.

[NuclearDem]

82. Yeah, no.

[Sparhawk60]

83. Good Rebuttal

A clear, rational debunking of my post. I bow before your superior logic and reason.

[NuclearDem]

84. Anyone who believes in such a thing as female privilege

doesn't deserve anything more than that.

[lumberjack_jeff]

88. I find it odd that lighter sentences for the same crime is a major part of white privilege.

while getting stricter sentences for the same crime is a major part of male privilege.

[Major Nikon]

109. No more so than those who don't believe females have societal privileges

[lumberjack_jeff]

86. A poster on the sister site made an interesting observation.

Don't usually agree with Iverglas but I thought this was an interesting take.
http://www.discussionist.com/?com=view_post&forum=1016&pid=89962

4) women lack agency
as I explained in my post 4.
Women are objects.
Women are not responsible for their actions any more than candy in the corner store is.
We don't punish the candy for getting stolen, right?
There certainly is a double standard at work, I must say!
And the judge's choice of language, and expression of his feelings, could not have made it more obvious.
Women are objects when it's in men's interests ... and women are not objects when it's in men's interests ...
The judge just forgot which situation he was looking at.

I think that this would partly explain the common (if minority) opinion from some men here that "it's just different".

[KamaAina]

112. She's ba-ack!

[treestar]

89. that's the point isn't it?

of the OP. The judge should not have been sexist in his ruling. Should have treated the male victim the same as he would have a female one.

[4Q2u2]

102. sometimes not even

She even posted a happy dance selfie

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/la-teacher-jail-sex-student-case-article-1.2180450

[KamaAina]

103. You know, you're right. There actually is gender bias here.

A boy who has sex with his teacher is viewed (certainly by this male judge) as a conqueror. A girl the same age who has sex with her teacher is viewed as a poor widdle innocent victim.

[seabeyond]

107. i mentioned that somewhere. quit telling me i am giving up innocence ect.... eeew.

while telling me the boy just wants to have fun.

totally.... fuggin creating a story of who patriarchy is demanding i be.

thank you so much dude.

[sub.theory]

5. This country has a serious rape problem

Just in the last two days there's been several stories about how our society minimizes and enables rape. The case of the judge that reduced the mandatory sentencing by 15 years for the rape of a 3 year old girl. The warm fuzzy Barbara Walters interview of the magical love story between a man and the pedophile who raped him at age 12. Unfortunately, these are not at all isolated incidents. Far too many people think rape is not that big of a deal and while it's wrong it's not a serious crime. These people simply have no clue. They have no understanding of the tremendous harm done to victims and the profound, lifelong scars that are left. Rape is a monstrous crime.

We have to stop putting up with it. Those that minimize and enable rape have to be called on it and those in the justice system that refuse to actually address the seriousness of the crime committed must be removed.

[closeupready]

118. I often wonder how much intra-familial violence in the US

has as its genesis incestuous molestation and rape? It's very ugly to think about, but it happens too much to not speculate as to its occurrence in helping to spark such violence.

[davidn3600]

8. Switch the genders and there would be mass outrage

If this teacher was a man and the student female, he'd get decades in prison. And if he didn't, there would be outrage and a social media storm demanding the judge resign.

[seabeyond]

26. kinda like all the women going after walters for her glorifying the marriage of a rapist?

[Warpy]

60. Letourneau spent 7 1/2 years in prison

which gave her victim adequate time to grow up. If she were purely a pedophile, she'd have lost interest in him as an adult.

Personally, I think people need to move on from that one. It's not what any of us would choose for ourselves or our children but she did the time and he grew up and it's up to them to try to make some sense out of the whole thing along with a life for their daughters. Notoriety didn't do either one of them any good and still won't.

Yes, teachers who seduce their students should be kicked out of the profession and most need to do jail time.

Walters needs to build her ratings elsewhere.

[dsc]

65. that was her sentence after she messed up

her original sentence, for molesting a 12 year old, was probation. She violated the probation by engaging the very same criminal conduct, and then got the aforementioned sentence.

[Warpy]

66. Yep, it was a fair sentence

that gave the kid a chance to grow up.

He did. It's now time to move on.

I could cheerfully throttle Walters for dragging all this stuff up again. My sympathy goes to the two daughters.

[dsc]

67. If a man had done what she did

I highly doubt she would have gotten probation and I am very sure that he wouldn't have gotten only a few years after he violated said probation. I am equally certain of this regardless of the gender of the victim.

[Warpy]

72. Most rapists never get reported

Of the ones reported, there are very few convictions unless he's a repeater and a lot of women come forward. The sentences are laughably light.

[sub.theory]

128. And that's a very serious problem

Sentences are indeed entirely too light, and they dramatically fail to address the profound seriousness of the crime and actual (lifelong) damage to the victim.

MKL's velvet glove, slap on the wrist sentencing is an insult to justice. She should still be in prison. Meanwhile, this crap goes on and on with God only knows how many children raped and sexually abused. And then we have to hear rape apologists tell us how MKL's rape of a 12 year old is a beautiful love story.

Yes, we have a major problem.

[LittleBlue]

110. Agreed. I think the MKL thing was more of a tragedy than a crime

She's still with him and he's far from looking like a child, so this doesn't fit the normal pedophile description. She got such a long sentence anyway because she refused to obey the parole agreement.

The justice system handled this case in a draconian manner because she was unrepentant and didn't care what the courts said

[Warpy]

59. Actually, that's not quite true.

My best friend in high school was raped by a male teacher. Her family left town rather than prosecute because a lot of intimidation ensued. Male rapists are so common that they barely raise an eyebrow most of the time and most are protected.

Female predators of teenagers are rare, so it's trumpeted all over the place and the consequences are much more severe.

[KittyWampus]

9. 30 DAYS? That is inexcusable. Teens push the envelope regarding behavior-

adults are supposed to help them keep safe.

[boston bean]

12. The judge is a sexual pervert.

Same as the rapist.

[Rex]

14. Agree.

Same as the judge that let a man off the hook for raping a toddler. We have some very unfit judges in this country that need to be removed from the bench.

[geek tragedy]

15. Inexcusable. Imprison the rapist, remove the judge from the bench.

So much wrong going on here.

[NaturalHigh]

16. “What young man would not jump on that candy?”

Imagine that the teacher had been a man and the judge had said “What young woman would not jump on that candy?” How much longer would that judge last on the bench?

As for the question of the young man jumping on the candy, it's frankly irrelevant. The teacher is the adult here, and it's her responsibility to abstain from statutory rape.

[johnnysad]

21. double standard when it comes to sexual predators

Always has been

[NaturalHigh]

25. Yes - unfortunate but true.

[seabeyond]

29. no, the judge would say to the young "candy" girl, what old man can help it... he inexplicably got

a boner, not his fault, right?

it is amazing the men in this thread, who deny that it is mostly men, that say this shit whenever an adult woman abuses a boy. oh what a fantasy, dream come true. if only.....

and women consistently stand with the child.

[NaturalHigh]

48. Yeah, I'm really sure the judge would say that.

Yeesh...it's like I logged into bizarro world.

[tblue37]

76. That is exactly what happened with another judge (in Montana) in a case in which a male

teacher had an affair with a 14-year-old student (who later committed suicide). The judge gave the teacher a 30 day sentence and said the girl had to shoulder much of the blame because she looked older and was seductive. At least the public outcry got the creepy teacher resentenced in that case.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/28/justice/montana-teacher-rape-sentence/

{SNIP}

District Judge G. Todd Baugh, in sentencing Stacey Rambold on Monday, said victim Cherice Moralez was "as much in control of the situation" as her teacher, referring to Cherice as a troubled youth "older than her chronological age," the Billings Gazette reports.

Cherice was 16 when she killed herself in 2010 after the case was sent to criminal court.

Baugh stood by his decision Tuesday and again Wednesday.

"Obviously, a 14-year-old can't consent. I think that people have in mind that this was some violent, forcible, horrible rape," Baugh said Tuesday. "It was horrible enough as it is, just given her age, but it wasn't this forcible beat-up rape."

{SNIP}

[seabeyond]

94. exactly. and another in calif. and two in alabama. has been happening across the nation.

we have been discussing it often. and still.

not fair. 30 days to a mans 30 years.

bullshit.

i think that girl was 13 when all that started, .... seems to be the age i had.

[johnnysad]

18. 30 days

What the hell



She is a sexual predator who targets children ...........

[Rex]

27. But the male judge that decided her fate thought otherwise.

I mean, what young man would NOT go after a 'hot' teacher (besides 99.9% of males that went to high school)? The judge is unfit to rule over cases imo.

[boston bean]

32. Did you see the Letourneaux thread. The problem here really isn't women.

There are a lot of men who think this is just the luckiest thing that can happen to a young teenage male.

As a mother, I want to do some damage to women who do this shit. I would be so pissed off if this happened to my son. The violation is one in the same as with young girls. There is no difference.

[johnnysad]

35. I don't think anyone is blaming women

[boston bean]

46. The double standard in my experience comes from males.

I'm not sure what to say, except that women, and in particular feminists, have been fighting this fight for a hell of a long time.

Trying to get our courts to take this issue seriously.

[Rex]

42. I agree 100%. The problem here is not women at all.

The problem here is men. My gender. We place these stupid double standards depending on gender and it is all pure bullshit.

I would be horrified if I had a child that was raped by an adult! I don't give to shits about the gender! Someone violated my baby!

I don't have kids, but even the thought of it sends me into orbit!

[boston bean]

44. Thanks Rex... you and I are on the same page here!

[seabeyond]

45. i have two boys and at 12 along with their friends, it would be absolute abuse, no question about it

i agree.

[cali]

77. for sure at 12. but what about at 16?

I guess what I'm doing here is copping to a double standard. When my son was 16 he had an affair with a woman who was 23. I didn't find out about it until after it was over, and there wasn't anything I could do about it even if I wanted to- it happened when he spent the summer abroad, but I doubt I would have done anything about it if I could have. Would I have felt the same way if I had a daughter and the same thing had happened? I honestly don't know.

[seabeyond]

97. i think the same considerations would be applied whether boy or girl. as you say. 16 is different 12

i would address it differently regardless of gender. this is not gender specific for me. i do not buy into the forced characters we are all given. that the boy is just looking for sex, and the girl is innocent and naive. i do not define gender or sexuality in that manner.

[TubbersUK]

58. Agree 100% n/t

[johnnysad]

33. Agree , he should be thrown off the bench

[seabeyond]

43. (besides 99.9% of males that went to high school)

this is another good point. i am so tired of men flippantly saying, man... if i was 12.

bullshit. thank you for stating this. one doesnt lose his man card cause at 12 yrs old, they are not ready to get at it with an old woman.

[Rex]

53. I was sexually assaulted at 10 by a brother and sister when we lived in an apartment complex.

I had no idea what was going on, I was just scared to death the entire time. I had a close friend kill herself in high school after being raped. I think those two events are the reason I decided not to ever have kids.

My heart goes out to you and Boston, I don't know how you can let your children go outside sometimes...what happened to me, was over 30 years ago and I know the world is a far worse place than it was in the 80s.

[seabeyond]

108. here is the thing rex and again, good point. we are mothers. we are gonna protect, care for, watch

out for our children. that is our FUGGIN' job, our priority and we are not gonna cotton to the predator, the perverted, to fuck with our children.

we have sons.

our sons are included.

duh.

thank you. and yes. that probably is the greatest reason for my continual speaking out. and now i am getting great nieces with one line of the family, that i am now protecting.

i am probably and way more, a child advocate, than woman advocate, only they are so tied to each other.

[Rex]

114. I'm very proud of the DU mothers and fathers I have met here over the years.

It is good knowing so many children are getting raised in a balanced household. True the mother and child reunion. I hear you, I am very protective of my cousins children. Family is a good thing, seeing you and Boston speak out for children is wonderful.

How many years now have we (you and I personally) talked about the global slave trade here on DU? So many young girls and boys out there in need of rescuing from some perverted criminal. So many girls and women shackled into a room for rape for money.

And like so many other things, something not talked about at all in the media. Got a long way to go sea.

[Blue_Tires]

61. Reverse the genders and it becomes a huge outrage...

What is it with these teachers fucking their students?? I only ask because this is a story we see once a month, without fail...Are these women that hard up?

[KamaAina]

64. You've given up on the Pens already?

[shanti]

62. i don't understand

what is UP with all these young female teachers having sex with their minor students?? there seem to be a lot more nowadays! i used to only hear about the male teachers, but it seems more now are female....

[Major Nikon]

63. Two words, social media

Teachers and students are now routinely communicating this way which presents opportunities which never existed before.

[EL34x4]

87. I think it has always happened

Only in the past, teachers were allowed to quietly resign or transfer to a different school. Today, it makes news across the country. Americans (and the British press) may not care about complicated world events but we love our "hot teacher had sex" stories, particularly when the Daily Mail publishes her Facebook photos.

Sad.

I also think there is a certain amount of "extended adolescence" at play here. Many 25, 27 or even 30-year olds still act like teenagers. They dress like teens. They listen to the same music, watch the same movies, same TV shows and read the same books as teens. Many are still single, haven't settled down, still party on the weekends. They don't view themselves as "old" compared to the high school students they are teaching.

When I was in junior high back in the early 80s, I recall a 24-year old teacher that all of us boys thought was stunning. And she was. Yet, she was very much an adult while we weren't. Today, the lines between adolescence and adulthood are a lot more blurred than they used to be.

I'm not justifying it, just trying to explain it.

[Reter]

70. She shouldn't have gotten anything, other than being fired

The "boy" was 17. In many (most?) states, that's legal for sex.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/27/erica-ann-ginnetti-student-sex_n_4673660.html

[fizzgig]

73. would you defend it if the genders were reversed?

it's disgusting that any teacher would do this. oh, and he is still considered a minor in this case.

The de jure (in name) age of consent in Pennsylvania is 16 years of age for sexual consent,[62] but a corruption of minors statute against adults corrupting the morals of minors under 18 years of age exists which makes the de facto (in fact) age of consent in Pennsylvania 18 years of age. However, the corruption of minors statute only applies to perpetrators 18 years of age and older, so it is legal for minors 16-17 to have sex with each other but not with a partner 18 or older.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ages_of_consent_in_North_America#Pennsylvania

[Reter]

74. Of course

I do however think teachers should be fired if they have sexual relationships with students. I don't think a 31 year old should go to jail for sex with a 17 year old when it's legal in my state and many more. Now 15? Absolutely. But not 17.

[lumberjack_jeff]

85. it is against the law to have sex with your students in most every state. n/t

[Reter]

113. Even college?

Doubt a 40 year old goes to jail for having sex with his 35 year old student. Fired maybe.

[lumberjack_jeff]

116. Is that a topic of conversation in this thread?

I think that the subject is about primary and secondary school.

That said, I don't understand why having sex with your undergrads is considered okay but having sex with your subordinates at work is not.

There's at least as much power differential and potential for exploitation.

[Xithras]

106. I've really gone back and forth on this one.

As a parent, I don't want teachers sleeping with students. As a civil rights activist, I want the law to be just and equitable.

The reality is that the law simply needs to be adjusted a bit, but I don't have a real problem with prosecuting teachers for sleeping with their students. Should they get decades in prison for consensual sex that would be legal if they WEREN'T the younger persons teacher? Probably not. But they certainly should get more than a slap on the wrist and a ticket to a new job. Without a conviction, it would be difficult to stop the teacher from simply moving to a new area and picking up a new position at another school.

IMHO, if a teacher has sex with a student who is otherwise above the age of sexual consent, the penalty should be about a year in prison (per student) and a lifetime ban from teaching. That's serious enough to dissuade most people from trying it, and keeps teaches from viewing their students as a virtual dating pool, while still keeping the penalty in proportion to the actual crime.

FWIW, when I was teaching in college, it was common knowledge that a lot of prof's slept with students. The uneven power dynamic between teachers and students is the only reason that high school students above the age of consent are legally banned from providing consent to their teachers. So why is it that 18 year old college students, who are subject to the very same power dynamics, CAN consent? If the age of consent is 16 or 17 in a particular state, then there is no real legal difference between a 17 year old and an 18 year old. So why do high school teachers get a decade in prison, while college professors get fist bumps from their colleagues?

[lumberjack_jeff]

121. I found your phrasing noteworthy.

FWIW, when I was teaching in college, it was common knowledge that a lot of prof's slept with students. The uneven power dynamic between teachers and students is the only reason that high school students above the age of consent are legally banned from providing consent to their teachers.

At a minimum, I think we agree that not having sex with your students should be a condition of employment (and licensing) for primary and secondary teachers.

I don't think the burden is on students, nor should it be. It isn't even a matter of consent. The teacher is the one employed and licensed by the state. The standards of conduct are on their shoulders. Male or female, the conduct is their responsibility.

The scope creep of expanding the conversation to college professors doesn't mitigate anything she did. She knew what the rules were and why they were.

Compare and contrast the situation here with the outrage that allowed a teacher to get away with having sex with an 18 year old student.

Washington law was subsequently changed to outlaw it.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

126. I think the question has to be 'Is it legal in the state in which it happened?'

And, presumably, the answer was no, because she got arrested and convicted for it. It doesn't really matter what the age of consent is in other states. What matters is whether it's legal right where you are. That's what determines whether or not you get arrested.

[BeyondGeography]

79. Teachers dancing with the stars night at the high school?

Great idea! Glad I didn't have to ponder that when I was in my hormonal fog years.

[NCTraveler]

90. There is serious truth in this statement.

It is why we must fight to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Dangle candy in front of a child and they will often eat it with a smile. It would be better understood if it were a man dangling true candy out the side of a truck. The issues are the same, not separate.

“What young man would not jump on that candy?” Page said."

The dangling candy part should be a negative, not an excuse. It shows the level of premeditation in the crime.

[Arkana]

92. Who was the judge, Zapp Brannigan?

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

127. The head of Richard Nixon.

'That depends...you didn't specify how old the child was, what type of candy, or whether or not anyone was watching...'

(Poorly remembered response of Nixon's head replying to the question of whether or not he would steal candy from a child during his first Presidential campaign post 3000 AD while hooked up to a lie detector.)

[Arkana]

129. "Well, uh...the question is, is vague, I uh...you didn't specify what kind of candy."

"At any rate, I, uh, certainly wouldn't harm the child."

[Tuesday Afternoon]

96. Judge Page needs to remove himself from The Bench with whatever shred of dignity his has left. eom.

[merrily]

101. “What young man would not jump on that candy?” Did he think the kid was on trial? If not,

why is he defending what the "young man," aka minor child, did?

What explanation did he offer for the seduction and statutory rape?

[seabeyond]

104. you know, and this. these men judges are bringing their own sex life into the crt room.

Last edited Fri Apr 10, 2015, 04:45 PM - Edit history (1)

for a judge to say that out loud, in that crt, he is participating with his own sexual vision. they know what they are doing. they know it is a statement. it is not like all of us do not know and see. these judges know this, and still feel they have the right, and even right of it, to make these comments.

in both circumstances it is taking the child, and stating they are allowed to be used for adult sex. that our children are adults sex toys....

[seabeyond]

105. also. none of us women are arguing boys are not used, abused, raped. we are the ones that advocate

prison rape jokes are unacceptable. it is the women, and the feminist that got that "joke" discussed and educated on du. we were the first, loudest, and took a lot of shit from men on du.

we women are aware of adult male rape of our sons, in sports, public bathrooms.... , religion, slave tafficking.

we are not unaware. we are not quiet.

none of us will stand quiet when our children are raped. that simple.

[LittleBlue]

111. I agree with the judge

The student was 17. Sentence is appropriate. And by that video of her dancing, had I been 17 in the same situation, I wouldn't have thought twice.

But his grades suffered during his senior year! So did mine. That's because my transcripts were already sent to the universities where I applied. And nobody in my class had to deal with a public trial about our sex lives. You can tell his opinion on the matter when he showed off the pictures to his classmates. Not exactly the act of a guy distraught by the whole thing.

[davidn3600]

122. It's because society values men who do such a thing

No one looks negatively on a male teenager who has sex (willingly). In fact when he does, he's viewed as heroic. He's a conqueror. He'll get high-fives from all his friends. His father will pat him on the back. He's a cool dude now. etc, etc..

But when a teenage girl has sex (willingly), regardless with who, it's a crime. It's a tragedy. There will be outrage. The girls father will grab his shotgun. Society will either view her as a victim who's innocence has been violated, or be called a slut/whore by her peers.

The sexism and double-standard here is incredible.

[In_The_Wind]

123. Erica Ann Ginnetti should go to jail for statutory rape.