I know this is long, but it's a mother's testimony as to why her daughter was the victim of homophobia and hate in Florida.
From her mother's Facebook Page:
Cliff Notes Version:
From her mother's Facebook Page:
Posted by Kelly Kelley Hunt Smith - What I'm about to share with you is extremely private and difficult on myself and my family, but mostly my daughter Kaitlyn. However im at a point where I don’t know what else to do. Sharing personal family matters with anyone, let alone total strangers is extremely scary but my daughters life is at risk, so im willing to do whatever it takes, no matter how difficult. Anyone who knows me, even a little, knows what kind of person I am. Anyone who knows my daughter Kate, knows how wonderful she is. Kate is an 18 year old senior about to graduate from SRHS. She has an exemplary record at school and home. She has always been a wonderful student, respected and well liked. She has cheered on the varsity cheer team all throughout high school, shes sung in chorus and was voted most school spirited. She has never been in trouble, ever, she truly is the model student and child. At the beginning of this school year, she started dating a fellow student, who happened to be another female. This girl also played varsity sports, was in the IB program, so she was in classes with upperclassman. There was an age difference between my daughter and the other girl, of 3 years, my daughter was older, however you would have thought it was the opposite by just looking at the girls. My daughter is tiny, looks very young, and the other girl looks much older and is much taller, either way there was a 3 year age gap. They were both students in the same high school, it was a mutual consenting relationship on both parts. This was unusual for Kate, she has always dated boys, but being the kind of mother I am, I didn’t want to make it a big deal. I talked to her about it, and figured it was just a social thing, times have changed and a lot of kids are experimenting, so I didn’t make much of it. This girl came to my home, hang out with our family before sporting events at the school, etc. The girls would hang out together at after school activities, I was there, I saw the other girls father there several times, he saw them together as well, so I assumed her family was aware of it and didn’t have any issues either. On Saturday February 16th our families world was shattered and our daughters nightmare begun. The police came to our home and arrested my daughter, put her in hand cuffs and we had no idea why. They refused to tell us anything at first because she had turned 18. Kate was ripped out of our arms, terrified, crying hysterically. My younger daughter was there at the time, my husband and myself, we were mortified. They finally told us she was being arrested on “probable cause”. I asked them probable cause of what, they said sexual battery on a person 12-16 years old. My heart dropped, I knew then that it had to have been her girlfriend's parents. These people never came to us as parents, never tried to speak to us, didn’t try to get the school involved to speak to us and tell us they had a problem with the girls dating, not one single word. Instead, they set out their vengeance and had my child arrested on FELONY charges. The nightmare continued. Kate was bailed out and sat in front of a Judge. He told her she could continue going to school, but was to have no contact with her girlfriend. I went to the school and spoke to them, let them know what was going on, I wanted to make sure there was no issues or problems. It is Kate's senior year, she only had a few months until graduation and we wanted her to finish. The school was very supportive, they all know and loved Kate. They told us that the other girls parents had already come in and wanted Kate to be expelled, they told them no, they wouldn’t do that. The parents didn’t like that, so that petitioned the court and asked the judge to remove Kate from school, even though the Judge already ruled Kate could continue school. We sat in front of the Judge again, and the judge ruled yet again that Kate could continue going to school, he didn’t feel like Kate was any threat at all. Those parents wouldn’t give up. They were out to destroy my daughter, they feel like my daughter “made” their daughter gay. They are bigoted, religious zeolites that see being gay as a sin and wrong, and they blame my daughter. Of course I see it 100% different. I don’t see or label these girls as gay. They are teenagers in high school experimenting with their sexuality, all teens do it in one form or another. They are teens, its healthy and normal. And even if their daughter is gay, who cares, she is still their daughter. But, the fight continued. the parents fought dirty, we pushed back and tried everything we could. I went to the school board with not one but two orders from Indian River County Judges saying Kate could continue going to school, but the school board sided with the parents, and expelled my daughter. Kate was forced to go to the alternative school. The school board made one concession and allowed Kate to attend her senior events like grad bash, and senior fun day at the school and she will be able to walk at her graduation at the high school and actually graduate from SRHS. But her senior year was ruined, she was taken away from her normal life, her friends and her school activities because of those parents. It was still blantenlty wrong, and discriminative. Those parents have forced the State Attorneys office to go thru with felony charges and are trying to ruin my daughters life. This is insane. This should have never been a legal matter, it is a family matter. They are trying to send an innocent young girl to prison because they are full of hate and bigotry. These girls are teenagers in high school, who had ONE mutual consenting sexual experience. My daughter isn’t a criminal, she isn’t a predator. The parents daughter has said from day one, she cares about my daughter, she never wanted her parents to do this, she was 100% consenting and it was by her own choice that she was with my daughter. She doesn’t want Kate to be punished at all, and feels like they did nothing wrong. Unfortunately by the letter of the law, this girl has NO voice. Her parents can play the “victims” and ruin my daughters life. We have written letters through our attorneys trying to appeal to these people as parents, talk through it and come to some agreement or understanding but the parents refuse. These people's delusional stand, their hate and bigotry is tearing our daughter apart. Kate is having night terrors, she is in depression, its horrible to watch. Kate was the happiest child, always smiling, always happy and uplifting and now she has to push through the tears to get through every day. I need the communities help. I need people to stand and fight with me for my daughters life. Should the girls have made better choices, YES. I agree, but is this criminal, no. Does my daughter deserve to lose her life for 15 years, or 3 years, or to have no life, because of one choice she made in high school, absolutely not!! The state attorney, Brian Workman needs to use taxpayers money to prosecute REAL criminals, not a high school student who has never been in trouble a day in her young life, all because she had a mutual consenting relationship with someone who has bigoted parents. I had bracelets made that say STOP THE HATE, FREE KATE. I want everyone in Indian River county to wear one in support of my daughter. I need people to come forward and show the state that this is totally ridiculous and wrong. I will fight till im dead for my children. Kate is such a beautiful person this is just so incredible wrong. This is a mothers nightmare. No one could possibly fully understand how painful this is, we feel powerless. The letter of the law, vs. reality in this situation is horrifying. I cant lose my child, I just cant. We as a community cant allow this to happen. We have until next Friday to either agree with an outrageous plea offer, or start trial. The state offered a plea of two years house arrest and one year probation. Kate wont be able to get a job, start her life, ever leave the house for an entire two years, then another year on probation. That is absolutely ludicrous. We need justice in this situation, not to feed into these parents hates and insanity. Will you help support Kate? Will you write a letter to the state attorney, will you come sit in the court room and show your support, will you wear Kate's bracelet in support of her? Will you pray, will you speak your mind to these other parents in regards to their actions? Will you help our family?
Cliff Notes Version:
A Florida family says their 18-year-old daughter was charged with a felony and expelled from high school as a result of a consensual, same-sex relationship with another student.
Kaitlyn Hunt started dating a female classmate at the beginning of the school year when she was 17 and the girl she was dating was about three years younger. According to an account posted to Facebook by Kaitlyn’s mother, in February, shortly after Kaitlyn turned 18, she was arrested on felony charges at the behest of her girlfriend’s parents. The specific crime was “sexual battery on a person 12-16 years old.”
But Kaitlyn’s problems did not end there. Her girlfriends’s parents appealed to the school board and had her expelled from Sebastian River High School. Kaitlyn’s mom reports that the State Attorney, Brian Workman, has offered Kaitlyn a plea deal “of two years house arrest and one year probation.” Kaitlyn has until next Friday to accept the plea deal or face a trial.
