Matthew Limon may soon be free. The Kansas Supreme Court has ruled that underage sex cannot be punished more harshly if it involves homosexual conduct.
Limon was sentenced to 17 years and two months in prison for, a week after his 18th birthday, performing “consensual oral sex” on a 14-year-old boy. Had the offense involved heterosexual sex, Limon's punishment would have involved a sentence of only 15 months.
Justice: “The statute inflicts immediate, continuing and real injuries that outrun and belie any legitimate justification that may be claimed for it. Moral disapproval of a group cannot be a legitimate state interest.”
The ACLU immediately applauded the court's action: “As of today, Matthew Limon has already served four years and five months longer than a heterosexual teenager would have received for the same act. He has long since paid his debt to society, and we're thrilled that he will be going home to his family soon. Justice has been a long time coming in this case.”
Kudos to the Kansas Court for correcting the injustice in this case.
