Sex, lies and prison

Townhall.com ^ | May 3, 2006 | by Kathleen Parker

[JimRed]

For the past six months, I've been staring at a 30-pound box filled with court documents and what's left of a young man's life following one college night and a 5- to 15-second disputed sex act.

That is, 5 to 15 seconds into the act of sexual intercourse, she said, "Stop."

He stopped immediately.

She claimed rape.

Thus, before his 23rd birthday, Rich Gorman of Orlando, Fla., was locked behind bars in the Liberty Correctional Institute near Tallahassee, serving a five-year sentence for sexual battery.

One minute a junior at Florida State University majoring in business/computer systems, the next a prison inmate labeled a sex offender.

I've hesitated to write about the case because all such cases are complex, as we've been reminded the past several weeks by the rape case at Duke University. Gorman's case bears little resemblance to the Duke episode, except that both involve youth and alcohol, a toxic combination in the sexual arena of he said/she said.

[JimRed]

So, who is the real victim here? The young man is a victim of his own misbehavior (casual sex without commitment), but the punishment does not fit the "crime". But for the Grace of God, there go I, or my boys...

[Lurker]

I've long said that birth control pills are just as effective on men as they are on women.

The trick is to hold one as tightly as possible between ones knees. If this young man had followed my plan he wouldn't be in the trouble he is today.

L

[butternut_squash_bisque]

If the article is factual, there's no question as to who's the *victim* here: Rich Gorman is clearly the victim.

[Tax-chick]

Before going to trial, Gorman reconnected with his high school sweetheart. They have a 9-month-old baby girl and hope to marry under more normal circumstances.

Lost my sympathy here, I'm afraid. Even though he's up to his ears in trouble as a consequence of loose behavior, he obviously didn't learn a thing.

(Consequences ping, Mr. C.)

[JamesP81]

Wake up people! If you are a male, especially a white male, you are guilty until proven innocent. The accuser need not prove her allegations are true; you must prove that they are false.

[Tax-chick]

And note the use of "reconnected" as a synonym for "fornicated." Clever!

[William Terrell]

Yes, we all ought to control ourselves. But we all make mistakes. I think the point is that the price for this mistake is much too high, amounting to a travesty of justice, giving a weapon to one side and withholding it from another, thereby allowing future travesties.

I agree with that point.

[Vaquero]

in todays America, a man can have sex with ones wife and be accused, tried and convicted of rape, if the wife so decides to pursuit it(rightly or wrongly).

Casual sex does not have to enter in this type of 'crime'.

[JamesP81]

Lost my sympathy here, I'm afraid. Even though he's up to his ears in trouble as a consequence of loose behavior, he obviously didn't learn a thing.

He was on trial for rape (which didn't happen), not having sex. Time to try on some perspective. We punish people for crimes, not legal acts that we disapprove of.

[Tax-chick]

You are correct, but that's not the situation here. I agree that the rape charge for this man seems outrageous, but I also think the man sounds extremely foolish.

[LoudRepublicangirl]

In today's America a black man can almost decapitate his white ex-wife and stab her Jewish friend to death and be found innocent because a white policeman once said the N word and lied about it and because the accused had the money to pay for high priced lawyers. There is injustice everywhere.

[JamesP81]

but I also think the man sounds extremely foolish.

Which has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on anything. Being foolish isn't illegal isn't deserving of being branded a sex offender for 30 years. Do you realize he can never get a good job? The best he can hope for is a 6 dollar per hour job at wal-mart. Does that really make sense as a punishment for an act that was stupid, but not illegal?

[Tax-chick]

I phrased myself hastily in my first post. He does have my sympathy because of the unjust rape charge and it's out-of-proportion results.

[eastforker]

BS, there are plenty good paying jobs, $20-30 an hour, that has no bearing on your past criminal history.

[Tax-chick]

It's = its. Time for school :-).

[JamesP81]

BS, there are plenty good paying jobs, $20-30 an hour, that has no bearing on your past criminal history.

Not in the computer field (which is what his limited education is in). I would know. I am in the computer field.

If there are such jobs, however, I hope he can find one.

[eastforker]

He will could get his hands dirty turning wrenches or become a CAD operator drawing mechanical/ industrial drawings.

[Mr. Jeeves]

His attorney must have been a complete moron...as was he for having sex with a drunken psychotic on the first date. And if the local DA has nothing better to do than spend a fortune trying this guy twice on such a specious charge, then he is the biggest moron of all.

But somehow, I have a feeling we are only hearing about 1/3 of the story...

[Graybeard58]

The best he can hope for is a 6 dollar per hour job at wal-mart.

Nope, Wal-Mart does not knowingly hire convicted felons and if a felon lies on his application and is found out, he will be fired.

[camle]

interesting railroad tale, IF true. I have seen stories on FR that later turned out to be, shall we say "less than forthcoming"?

We only have one side of this story.