MATTHEW LIMON!

don't yet know exactly what this will mean in terms of when he finally, FINALLY gets out of jail, but... this is fuckinFANTASTIC!!!

"The Kansas Supreme Court ruled today that the state must impose the same penalties for statutory rape regardless of whether the sex was heterosexual or homosexual.

The case was brought by Matthew Limon, who was sentenced to 17 years in prison after he was convicted of having sex with a 15-year-old boy a week after his 18th birthday in 2000. If Limon had been convicted of having sex with a 15-year-old girl, he would have received a maximum sentence of 15 months.

The state’s so-called Romeo and Juliet statute allows for lesser penalties for sexual relations with a 14- or 15-year-old, so long as the partner is under 19, is less than four years older than the victim, and is a member of the opposite sex.

Limon’s attorneys argued that the last provision of the Romeo and Juliet statute violates the state and federal Constitution by holding out different penalties for a separate class of citizens. The court agreed, and also found that the statute violated a 2003 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that made it illegal for states to penalize homosexual activity.

The Kansas Court indicated that the Romeo and Juliet statute may remain in place if the state eliminates the provision exempting same-sex relations."

Here's the link to the Washington Post's Associated Press story by John Hanna - I'm looking forward to more info and ananysis as the day goes on..... you might remember that HANNA has been following this story for years, and this article will no doubt get more fleshed out later.

Gosh, it's been years since an actual court case has made me this happy, seeing a real injustive, finally beginning to get remedied..... gotta run.

oh yeah, and the Kansas Supreme Court opinion is here.