Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Equal Justice By: Carlie Coates


Homosexuality.  Depending on who that word is said to, will either make someone cringe or will start a welcoming conversation.  Homosexuality is not a foreign topic for society, but it took 2,013 years for the United States to accept that denying federal benefits for homosexual couples was unconstitutional.[1]  2,013 years may seem like a short or long period of time; however, the only people who consider 2,013 years to be short are the people that did not experience inequality and the people that were able to live as they pleased.  Rights for homosexuals are slowly advancing towards equality, yet treatment and justice towards homosexuals are lacking. 

Even though homosexuality has been around since the 1860s[2], treatment towards homosexuals, or bisexuals, has had minimal change.  Recently, the TV show 20/20 broadcasted a story about an 18 year old female, Kaitlyn Hunt, who went to prison for having a relationship with a 14 year old girl.[3]  The parents of the 14 year old are the ones who originally went to the police, and Kaitlyn believes that they would have been fine with the relationship if she would have been male.[4]  Kaitlyn refused to accept a plea offer because she really wanted to not be discriminated against for her sexuality.[5]  To hear the story, click here

The first case I had ever learned about, when dealing with a homosexual event, was Nicholas Sension’s.[6]  In 1677, Sension repeatedly tried to rape men, for over thirty years, and eventually went on trial.[7]  Due to his wealth and status, his ruling was not as severer as it should have been with the sodomy laws that existed.[8]  However, the surprising aspect, to me, was the fact that the colonists tried to prevent him from continuing on with his actions before taking legal action.[9]

The difference in treatment towards homosexuals, in the justice system, between 1677 and 2014 has drastically changed; nevertheless, the perception of the ruling is still skewed.  Sension was looked down-upon in his community and guilty of his actions, but his social status saved him from receiving a fair prosecution.[10]  Kaitlyn was trialed unfairly because society looks down-upon homosexuals and the parents of the 14 year old were unhappy with the actions of their daughter.[11]  Both of these incidents were not handled correctly; Sension was guilty and should have been charged, Kaitlyn was not guilty and should not have spent 120 days in prison for having a mutual relationship.  Even though 337 years have passed since Sension’s trail, homosexuals are still not being treated equally.  Some rights have been granted to them, but until they can be prosecuted fairly in the legal system, homosexuals will still experience difficulties with equality.     




[1] Liptak, Adam. "Supreme Court Bolsters Gay Marriage With Two Major Rulings." The New York Times, June 26, 2013. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/27/us/politics/supreme-court-gay-marriage.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 (accessed February 20, 2014).
[2] Ford , Milt. A Brief History of Homosexuality in America. working paper., Grand Valley State University, 2013. http://www.gvsu.edu/allies/a-brief-history-of-homosexuality-in-america-30.htm.
[3] Diaz, Joseph, Jenner Smith, and Alexa Valiente. "Fla. Teen Jailed for Same-Sex Relationship With Underage Girlfriend Ready to ‘Move On’." 20/20, February 14, 2014. http://abcnews.go.com/US/fla-teen-jailed-sex-relationship-underage-girlfriend-ready/story?id=22504595 (accessed February 20, 2014).
[4] Diaz, Joseph, Jenner Smith, and Alexa Valiente. "Fla. Teen Jailed for Same-Sex Relationship With Underage Girlfriend Ready to ‘Move On’." 20/20, February 14, 2014. http://abcnews.go.com/US/fla-teen-jailed-sex-relationship-underage-girlfriend-ready/story?id=22504595 (accessed February 20, 2014).
[5]Diaz, Joseph, Jenner Smith, and Alexa Valiente. "Fla. Teen Jailed for Same-Sex Relationship With Underage Girlfriend Ready to ‘Move On’." 20/20, February 14, 2014. http://abcnews.go.com/US/fla-teen-jailed-sex-relationship-underage-girlfriend-ready/story?id=22504595 (accessed February 20, 2014).
[6] OutHistory.org, "Sodomy Case: Nicholas Sension, Connecticut, May 22, 1677." Accessed February 20, 2014. http://outhistory.org/exhibits/show/the-age-of-sodomitical-sin/1670s/sodomy-case-nicholas-sension-m.
[7] OutHistory.org, "Sodomy Case: Nicholas Sension, Connecticut, May 22, 1677." Accessed February 20, 2014. http://outhistory.org/exhibits/show/the-age-of-sodomitical-sin/1670s/sodomy-case-nicholas-sension-m.
[8] OutHistory.org, "Sodomy Case: Nicholas Sension, Connecticut, May 22, 1677." Accessed February 20, 2014. http://outhistory.org/exhibits/show/the-age-of-sodomitical-sin/1670s/sodomy-case-nicholas-sension-m.
[9] OutHistory.org, "Sodomy Case: Nicholas Sension, Connecticut, May 22, 1677." Accessed February 20, 2014. http://outhistory.org/exhibits/show/the-age-of-sodomitical-sin/1670s/sodomy-case-nicholas-sension-m.
[10] OutHistory.org, "Sodomy Case: Nicholas Sension, Connecticut, May 22, 1677." Accessed February 20, 2014. http://outhistory.org/exhibits/show/the-age-of-sodomitical-sin/1670s/sodomy-case-nicholas-sension-m.
[11]Diaz, Joseph, Jenner Smith, and Alexa Valiente. "Fla. Teen Jailed for Same-Sex Relationship With Underage Girlfriend Ready to ‘Move On’." 20/20, February 14, 2014. http://abcnews.go.com/US/fla-teen-jailed-sex-relationship-underage-girlfriend-ready/story?id=22504595 (accessed February 20, 2014). 

No comments:

Post a Comment