the girl in this image is kaitlyn hunt, a high school senior in indian river county, florida. kaitlyn hunt is an upstanding student with an exemplary record and plenty of extracurricular activities. she’s in the choir, she’s a cheerleader, she’s a basketball player, and she was even voted “most school spirit” in the school’s yearbook.
on february 16th, she was arrested for lewd and lascivious battery on a child age 12-16 for being in a same sex relationship with a fellow 15 year old student. the relationship started when kaitlyn was 17 and her girfriend was 15. as soon as kaitlyn turned 18, her girlfriend’s parents went to the police, had her arrested, and got her expelled from school. not only that, but she had previously already been kicked off the basketball team for being in a same sex relationship.
kaitlyn’s girlfriend INSISTS that the relationship is 100% consensual, but the law doesn’t grant her any legal say in the matter, so her parents are able to press charges regardless of her opinion. and because of that, kaitlyn is facing two years of house arrest and a year of probation. they never spoke to kaitlyn’s parents or the school to say they had a problem with the girls dating. they simply went to the police and got her arrested.
it would be very simple for anyone to argue that age is the defining factor in this situation, but you and i both know that’s total bullshit. the girls were minors when they started dating. the parents stated that “there is no way our daughter is gay.”
this was driven by the homophobia of those parents, plain and simple. if this was an 18 year old male and a 15 year old girl, nobody would give a shit. it happens ALL the time in high schools across the country. but because this young woman, who planned on being a nurse, is now facing felony charges because she was in a same sex relationship.
this is not okay. we need to show our support for kaitlyn and send a message to florida legislators that the selective enforcement of laws like this is NOT okay and that we will NOT stand for this.
if you’d liike to support kaitlyn’s cause, you can sign this petition, and you can donate money to help pay for the family’s legal funds here.
if you’re from florida, you should also find and email your representatives and tell them selective legislation biased against homosexuals, especially teenagers, is simply NOT OKAY!!!!
