May 23, 2013 - I suppose I should talk somewhat about the Kate Hunt situation. What's probably most interesting about this case is how much people are focusing on the genders of the people involved rather than the age difference which is where the question of legality regarding this situation really lies. It's pretty disgusting to think the parents of Ms. Hunt's girlfriend waited until Ms. Hunt's 18th birthday before saying anything for if this truly was child abuse, you would think they'd want to stop the situation much sooner and have the ability to do so because there should have been abundant evidence. Evidently they didn't have abundant evidence which may indicate intolerance on their part as many people have projected, but it could also mean a failure to recognize abusive relationships by the court (which is unfortunately also a fairly large problem with the American legal system). But most media I've seen hasn't including anything from the alleged victim's perspective, making it possible (though perhaps unlikely) she was coerced into a situation with which she was uncomfortable. The last storyline involving Nina actually talked a lot about these issues, and I really made a concerted effort to make sure her point of view was presented, without that point of view I don't know how to react to Kate Hunt's situation. I'd like to believe their relationship was harmonious and consenual, and maybe more laws need to be put in place to deal with age of consent cutoffs (unlike Florida many states have so-called Romeo and Juliet laws protecting people just over and just under the age of consent, many of these were discussed somewhat last storyline, though that also dealt with the requirements and liabilities reporting relationships that are illegal (cuz technically they don't always legally need to be reported and something like a doctor's confidentiality agreement could take precedence -- which is obviously a huge issue regarding how Kate Hunt's situation was reported)) or to better respond to and recognize abuse. I'm not really sure, but regardless of the outcome or particulars of this case, it seems to be encouraging discussion geared towards fixing some of these flaws. I hope justice is served in this case and all others moving forward.

-D