Supreme Court voids 17-year prison sentence for Kansas gay teen
Today the Supreme Court set aside the 17-year prison sentence imposed on a Kansas teenage boy for having consensual oral sex with a younger teen boy. Under Kansas law, all sex between someone aged 14-16 and someone older than 16 is statutory rape. For boy-girl sex the maximum penalty is fifteen months in prison, and probation is more common; sentences for same-sex couples can run much higher, and probation is not available. The ACLU took on the case and challenged the legality of the disparity in sentencing. The Supreme Court ordered Kansas courts to review the case in light of yesterday's landmark ruling overturning sodomy laws. More.
Elsewhere, a small Kansas anti-gay group flew to Massachusetts to demonstrate at a Harvard graduation ceremony. The photograph accompanying the article is scary and heartbreaking.
