Debunking myths about statutory rape, race and class: Part 3 of 3

My current boyfriend went to school in the south, and while he’s been back in DC for the last few years he still receives updates on people he knew at school. One guy he knew had served a few years in jail for involvement in an armed robbery. After he got out, he was locked back up within the span of a few months. Why? Statutory rape. This way past college aged man was caught sneaking out of the bedroom window of a sixteen year old he was sleeping with. I personally wonder how many of this guy’s friends knew about his little sixteen year old piece on the side, or noticed him leering at younger girls coming home from high school. There are signs. Watch for them in your friends.

3. Take an interest in the young girls you know.

My boyfriend has two younger sisters. One of them recently entered her teenage years. Her body started to develop and she has attracted more male attention. I notice small changes in her – how she looks at the floor a lot more than she used to, or how she seems uncomfortable going anywhere without a group of girlfriends. She still looks like an average teenager but she is often hesistant and uncomfortable, unless she is around her peers. However, I knew her before she developed so quickly. And I notice the change that a year (as well as taking the metro to and from school) starts. I’m fairly certain she’s trying to navigate the minefield of male attention she receives.

After all, I’ve walked that same field as well.

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[No experience here with gay/lesbian dynamics, though from what I have observed it appears that a lot of my gay friends experimented sexually with much older members of the same sex before coming out. One of the commenters on Feministe referenced her own experiences with much older women, but did not want to label it statutory rape. Any thoughts on this?]

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