I don’t know Genarlow Wilson.
I’ve never met him.
He isn’t my friend.
I care about Genarlow Wilson because I believe he is unjustly imprisoned because of archaic and puritanical laws, as well as because of selective enforcement.

While at a 2004 New Year’s Eve party, Genarlow and five other young men received consensual oral sex from a female classmate. At the time, Genarlow was 17, the girl was 15. At the time, under Georgia law, oral sex with anyone under the age of 16 could be classified as aggravated child molestation, even if it occurred between two teenagers fewer than three years apart, and the sex was consensual. Because of the way the law was written, had Genarlow engaged in sexual intercourse with the girl he would have only been guilty of a misdemeanor and received a prison sentence of no more than 12 months. Instead, he is serving a 10 year sentence. Amazingly, after Genarlow was imprisoned, Georgia amended the law to treat consensual oral sex between teenagers no more than four years apart as a misdemeanor, but a clause was specifically added to ensure the revision did not apply to Genarlow. In other words, right now in Georgia, a 17 year old can have intercourse with a 13 year old, or receive oral sex from a 13 year old, and only be guilty of a misdemeanor. But Genarlow, who was 17 years old when he had consensual oral sex with a 15 year old, must serve a decade behind bars and register as a sexual offender for the rest of his life. None of other five classmates who received oral sex from the girls that fateful night received a ten year sentence.

I don’t believe that teens under 18 years of age should be having sex. I don’t think they are ready for it emotionally and mentally, even if they are ready physically. But I also don’t believe that a young man who receives oral sex should have his life ruined. If Genarlow serves his full sentence, he will be 28 years old when he is released. Because he will be a registered sex offender he will continue to be punished for the rest of his life. There will be restrictions on where he can live, what work he can do, and whom he can associate with. In the eyes of the law, he will be treated the same as someone who kidnapped and violently raped a toddler. All because when he was 17, he let a girl at a party give him a blowjob.

Often when a teen is in legal trouble, one will see the parents exclaim, “He’s a good boy!”. In Genarlow’s case, it’s true. He was a football player and track star, homecoming king and honor-roll student. He had a clean record and had never had any legal problems. Several colleges were pursuing him. Estimates vary on how much is costs to keep someone in prison. The figure seems to be between $10,000.00-$30,000.00 a year. Its curious that Georgia would rather spend a minimum of $100,000.00 of taxpayer money to keep Genarlow in prison, rather than let him go to college on a scholarship, despite the fact that what he was convicted of is now a misdemeanor carrying a maximum 12 month sentence. His imprisonment serves to protect no one; it serves no cause other than to destroy a young man’s life.

David McDade, the District Attorney in the case, could have chosen not to pursue such a harsh punishment. At the same time Genarlow was in court, in the same courthouse, there was another case being tried. A case that indirectly involved David McDade’s own teenage son. Alexander High School English teacher and cheering coach Kari McCarley was found guilty of having a sexual relationship with a 17 year old male student. Her sentence was three years probation and 90 days in jail.

McDade was District Attorney while George Tsimpides, then 26 years old, received a 20 day sentence for luring a 15 year old girl he’d chatted with on the internet to a mall so he could engage in sex with her.

McDade was also District Attorney when Jack Stewart, a coach at a local school, was sentenced to 30 days in jail and 10 years probation for fondling a 15 year old girl.

McDade even chose to ignore state Representative Tyrone Brooks, the author of the Georgia statute that Genarlow was convicted under, who has clarified that the law was intended to protect children from adult sexual predators, not to police teenage sex. One cannot help but wonder why McDade chose to pursue the case so vigorously.

Members of the jury who convicted Genarlow, who were not told beforehand what his sentence would be, screamed and openly wept when they discovered they had sent him to prison.

It is because of all this that I pledge 25% of my 2007 royalties from the sale of Heather Has 5 Husbands to Genarlow and/or his legal fund.

If you’d like to learn more about how you can help Genarlow Wilson visit WilsonAppeal.com.