Age of consent (not a rant on Laurel's take on it)

[Cleopatra]

I remember being so excited by just sitting next to the object of my childhood crush that I thougt I'd pass out. Holding hands was a huge deal. I can still get a rush thinking about how it felt to brush against a crush backstage in a student performance. Small, nearly insignificant touches that nearly set my skin on fire at the time.

Now I still like and can appreciate those things, but I don't get the same thrill or satisfaction. The very idea that just making out --- not heavy petting or even "first base" --- could be a stunning end to the evening is almost totally beyond me now.

A little pleasure can go a long way when you're new to things. It's a shame to rush through those experiences because you really can't get them back.

/hijack

Wow, I miss them. Daisie had a poem on Lit about just this topic, but I think it's down now...*sigh*

/return

 

[Pure]

Originally posted by Un-registered
You, of all people, as a Math Girl should realise that's a formula for disaster. .
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[MG:]
I did not either endorse or condemn the formula, merely stated it.
Harumph!
MG

===

I think it's an excellent formula, since for male 16, it gives 15; for male 18, it gives 16, and say for male 25, it yields 19.

These are all legal combinations in Canada, and in much of the US.
(A formula here is that for the younger girls, down to 14, the male, if less than two years older will not be held criminally liable--it's considered NOT to be his fault or responsibility alone.)

 

[Pure]

Tom, AA, said,


Age of Consent - correction
Just to be clear on the situation in UK law: It would NOT be legal for a 50 year old man to have sex with a 16 year old girl! 16 may be the age of consent, but it's not the age of majority. 2 16 year old can have sex, hell, they can get married. But if an 18+ guy screws a 16 year old girl then he can be prosecuted (though he'd a have a reasonable defence).

Tom

So for the older man, in UK, what is the age of consent for the female? 18? 21? This sounds wrong, see below: can you verify your statement and/or cite the source.??

Here is my source. It looks like 50 man 16 girl is a go, if she's not his daughter, getting paid,etc. Maybe you're thinking of anal sex.

from

[Sexual Health and Advice Centre, UK]

http://www.addenbrookes.org.uk/shac/advice/law.html


What are the laws about sex?


The legal age of consent for sex between a man and a woman in England, Scotland and Wales is 16 years. In Northern Ireland, it is 17 years;

The legal age of consent for anal sex between a man and a woman in England and Wales is 18 years. In Scotland, it is 16 years. In Northern Ireland, it is illegal;

The legal age of consent for anal sex between two men in the UK is 18 years, provided both men consent. A lower age of consent is currently being considered in Parliament;

There is no specific law on the age of consent for sex between two women. However, certain laws suggest that both women must consent and be over 16 years, except in Northern Ireland, where they must be over 17 years;
You can't have sex with a close blood relative: father, mother, sister, brother, aunt, uncle (this is because you will share too many genes, which makes you more likely to give genetic diseases to any children you might have);
You can't have sex in a public place;
You can't receive money for sex (ie prostitution is illegal).

 

[gauchecritic]

You can't receive money for sex (ie prostitution is illegal).

Prostitution is NOT illegal in the UK. Being paid for sex is NOT illegal.

However soliciting for paid sex IS illegal, from either party. At least one party would eventually HAVE to ask the other if payment is to be made, thereby making this soliciting.

The actual buying or selling of sex is not against the law.

A very fine but distinct point I think.

Gauche

 

[SlickTony]

Kind of like medical and legal services in my country. Used to be, doctors and lawyers couldn't advertise either. There is a large body of opinion that feels that neither profession has benefited by the lifting of this prohibition.

 

[MathGirl]

Prostitution is NOT illegal in the UK. Being paid for sex is NOT illegal.

However soliciting for paid sex IS illegal, from either party. At least one party would eventually HAVE to ask the other if payment is to be made, thereby making this soliciting.
Gauche

That's as big a crock as some of the dumb laws we have here in the colonies.
MG

 

[Pure]

[Sexual Health and Advice Centre, UK, wesite]
said:

You can't receive money for sex (ie prostitution is illegal).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gauche said


Prostitution is NOT illegal in the UK. Being paid for sex is NOT illegal.

However soliciting for paid sex IS illegal, from either party. At least one party would eventually HAVE to ask the other if payment is to be made, thereby making this soliciting.

The actual buying or selling of sex is not against the law.

A very fine but distinct point I think.

Gauche

Thanks. It seems that was not a distinction my source was alive to. I've checked a few sites and you're right. The selling of a sex act for money is not illegal, but many things surrounding it are, in particular, 'solicitation'---which I gather is standing in a public place and talking about sex for money, i.e. arranging it. Also there are anti pimping laws. I suppose brothels are illegal, by the argument for parallelism, below.

Although MG may consider this a 'crock' it's exactly the same here in Canada. You simply can't sell sex on the street. But there are newspaper ads, etc. Canada went throught the same process as Britain, trying to define 'solicitation', i.e., must it be persistent. In the end Canadian law bans "Communication in a public place or open to the public view for purposes of prostitution" and you'll note it can be and is occasionally applied to male customers.

{Note, Gauche does suggest that, for UK any conversation on the topic would be illegal. That's clearly not the case in Canada. If there's parallelism between the countries, I suspect that British law does not actually apply against private conversations either.}

I'd explain it to MG thus. It's not perfect, but the public isn't ready to go the way of Netherlands. Making the act legal is an important protection for women, for example, prostitutes who are involved in pressing pimping charges against a pimp. In Canada, unlike most of US except Nevada, the prostitute (but not the streetwalker) is legally OK, and the pimp is not.