In this photo made available by the Hunt family, Kaitlyn Hunt and her father Steve in Vero Beach, Fla., Monday May 20, 2013. Kaitlyn, 18, was expelled from school for dating and having sex with her 14-year-old girlfriend, who was a fellow player on her basketball team. Hunt was arrested and charged with two felony counts of lewd and lascivious battery on a child 12 to 16 years. (AP Photo/Hunt Family, HO) (The Associated Press)
MIAMI – Gay rights advocates are rallying around an 18-year-old central Florida girl who was expelled from school and charged with having sexual contact with her 14-year-old girlfriend.
Kaitlyn Hunt was charged with two felony counts of lewd and lascivious battery on a child 12 to 16 in February. Prosecutors have offered a plea deal that includes two years of house arrest and a year of probation.
The Hunts say that the relationship was consensual and that their daughter is being discriminated against because she's gay.
But State Attorney Bruce Colton says the arrest has nothing to do with Kaitlyn's sexual preference. He says the law is designed to protect younger children from people who are older and can be more aggressive in forming a relationship.
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