Defining
a sex predator, for life
The
night Matthew Shettles graduated from high school, he
had sex with his girlfriend. He became a sex offender.
He was 18 and she was five weeks shy of 15, when a
three-year age difference would have made the act legal.
The girl confided in a counselor, who reported Shettles.
He was convicted of a misdemeanor and given three years'
probation, community service, a $1,600 fine and his name
on a registry of sex offenders for life.
30-7-2007
The politics of sex
Former
surgeon general Richard Carmona revealed that federal
policies concerning abstinence-only programs, stem-cell
research, emergency contraception, and abortion are
founded on dogma, not science. According to the good
doctor's testimony before the House Committee on
Oversight and Government Reform, politics, ideology, and
theology take priority over women's health in this
administration. 30-7-2007
Man on trial in 'sex tourism' case
A wealthy motel owner accused of sexually
abusing boys from a poor Eastern European village tossed
money around to ingratiate himself with people he met, a
federal prosecutor said in his opening statement at the
man's trial. 30-7-2007
Porn trailblazers guessed right - sex became big business
The death of sex
impresario Jim Mitchell following an apparent heart
attack last week was a major time-capsule moment. In a
city that has long fashioned itself as the country's
singular feel-good fiefdom of pleasure and personal
liberties, Jim and his late brother, Artie Mitchell,
earned the honorific of San Francisco's once-and-forever
Porn Kings.
30-7-2007
Ghetto Feminism
Coco and I peek
through the yellowed blinds at the Rec Centre meeting
room, assessing if we want to go in or not. It looks to
be an amicable mix of community advocates, low-level
politicians, and a few Downtown Eastside residents, all
drinking coffee from Styrofoam cups and eating cheap
pastries, so we push through the heavy glass door and
find places at the round table.
30-7-2007
MySpace bars 29,000 sex offenders
The social networking website MySpace has
reported a four-fold increase in the number of convicted
sex offenders using its service. The company found more
than 29,000 convicted sex offenders in the United States
had profiles on MySpace - up from a figure of 7,000
given in May. 30-7-2007
Court dismisses 'absurd' sex prosecution of pregnant 13-year-old girl
The Utah
Supreme Court on Tuesday threw out a sex-abuse finding
against a then-13-year-old Ogden girl who became
pregnant by her 12-year-old boyfriend, ruling
unanimously that treating her as both a victim and a
perpetrator for the same act had created an "absurd
result." 30-7-2007
