• baltakatei
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    7523 hours ago

    Fixed: Matt Gaetz, former Trump AG pick, had sex with raped an underage girl while in Congress, House Ethics report says

    A minor cannot consent.

    • @Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In
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      83 hours ago

      In Florida a 17 year old can consent.

      Matt Gaetz being older than 24 is the illegal part. He groomed a young girl.

      Also, because he paid her, then the offense involves the procurement of a person who is under 18 years of age, so the charge increases to a second degree felony, which can result in up to 15 years of imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.

      • @[email protected]
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        355 minutes ago

        No she couldn’t consent to anyone over 24, which he was. Also, I would have to play catch-up, but if this is one of the girls he flew to New Jersey to have sex with… It’s sex trafficking a minor right?

      • Tiefling IRL
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        83 hours ago

        If it only costs $10,000 to do that then it’s only illegal for poor people

        • @Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In
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          23 hours ago

          Welcome to America.

          Where “Speeding fine” has totally opposite meanings depending on how rich you are.

    • @Korne127
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      42 hours ago

      I don’t know about this case, I can definitely imagine him raping that girl.

      But from a European perspective, saying minors cannot consent is definitely one of these very stupid US takes. It is honestly insane that in the US 18 is treated like a god, and if one partner is some months older, it’s illegal.
      Obviously, minors can generally be influenced more easily than older people, and it’s important to have safeguards in place, but such a statement is just genuinely ridiculous.

      • @PM_Your_Nudes_Please
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        447 minutes ago

        That’s not the case in this scenario, and rarely is. It varies by state, but Romeo and Juliet laws are common, which cover these kinds of circumstances.

        Basically, the law will set an acceptable age gap where consent can happen; If the gap is 5 years, then a 17 year old won’t be able to consent to sex with a 30 year old, but can with an 18-22 year old. So it helps maintain the “this is obviously a child who was groomed by a creepy middle-aged person” statutory rape laws, while still allowing kids to date each other.

        • Queen HawlSera
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          119 minutes ago

          In some states they just straight up do the European thing where all that matters is being at least 16. In my state the age of consent is 16 and that’s also the age where you can be tried as an adult. They recently voted on whether or not to raise the age, and they decided no.

          There is still push for that to be changed, though only for the age of being tried as an adult. The former they’re kinda keen on keeping where it is.

      • @newDayRocks
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        21 hour ago

        It is honestly insane that in the US 18 is treated like a god, and if one partner is some months older, it’s illegal.

        You’ll be relieved to know that this is never the case.