Man gets 18 years for sexting

A federal judge sentenced a 33-year-old Florence, Kentucky, man to 18 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for persuading a 14-year-old to send nude photos to him by text message. [WKYT]

Had this 33-year-old man persuaded the 14-year-old girl to have sex with him instead of sending him nude photos, he would instead be facing 1 to 5 years in prison. How is it possible that the law considers a minor taking a  nude photograph of herself and sending it to a 33-year-old man more harmful than actually having sexual intercourse with him?

“New Media, Old Problem”

Lambda Legal addresses the real problem behind gay teen suicides: not technology, but homophobia.

Stories of teens driven to suicide by antigay taunting are all over the news. … Should we clamp down on the Internet and social media because they can be used to harass?

Unfortunately, the truth is that this problem is old; it’s the splash of attention that’s new. The media–Internet and otherwise–are mere instruments, usable for good or for evil.

We need to make protections against discrimination and harassment real. Where we have laws, we need them enforced. Where we have policies, officials need to step up to the plate.