Genarlow Wilson, honor student and football star, had consensual sex with a fellow teenager. What happened to him next was a crime.
When he was a senior in high school, he received oral sex from a 10th grader. He was 17. She was 15. Everyone, including the girl and the prosecution, agreed she initiated the act. But because of an archaic Georgia law, it was a misdemeanor for teenagers less than three years apart to have sexual intercourse, but a felony for the same kids to have oral sex.
Now he’s sitting in prison. He got ten years. Been there for two. And there’s not much anyone can do about it, although some are trying.
Interestingly, this sounds remarkably similar to the case of Marcus Dixon, only even more absurd. Dixon was a high school football player in Georgia who went to prison for having sex with an underage girl. She claimed rape and he claimed consensual; a jury found him not guilty of rape, but guilty of aggrevated child molestation because she was 18 and he was 15 and she was a virgin (thus fulfilling the “physical harm” required to make it aggrevated). Unlike this case there was question of whether it was consensual (she still claims that it was not and has sued the school district). Dixon eventually had the charge reduced by the State Supreme Court and is out, but even so, the way these laws are enforced and sentencing is performed in Georgia is way out of line.
My question is what is happening to the girlin the Wilson case? She claimed rape, even though none occurred (which she freely admits now). Shouldn’t that come with some consequences as well? I understand that we don’t want to frighten off people who may have been victimized by prosecuting someone who claims she was raped, but in this case, she admits that it was made up and sadly, several people have served or are serving some time in prison and being branded as sex offenders.
By the way, I just realized I spelled aggravated wrong at least twice…I obviously need to get more sleep.