Girl, no, we practically share a date of birth, and I remember distinctly that 18 has always been the age of consent, including many places outside the US. I was shocked to find out some places had lower legal limits.
The age of consent in your state may surprise you then. It is 16 for most of them. I grew up in Canada, and it was 14 until 2009, and is 16 now. As a father of teenagers, I’ve noted that age of consent is a double-edged sword, “protecting the children” not only from would-be sexual predators, but also from themselves when they choose to express their gender differently. Because what it really is, is an age of asserting bodily autonomy. Whether I like it or not, there comes an age when my teens should have a right to do whatever they want with their own bodies. In my opinion, it’s fine to pick an age to be a legal guideline for when a person is incapable of asserting their own rights, but we should immediately defer to the choice of an individual whenever a person is old enough to demand it.
Girl, no, we practically share a date of birth, and I remember distinctly that 18 has always been the age of consent, including many places outside the US. I was shocked to find out some places had lower legal limits.
The age of consent in your state may surprise you then. It is 16 for most of them. I grew up in Canada, and it was 14 until 2009, and is 16 now. As a father of teenagers, I’ve noted that age of consent is a double-edged sword, “protecting the children” not only from would-be sexual predators, but also from themselves when they choose to express their gender differently. Because what it really is, is an age of asserting bodily autonomy. Whether I like it or not, there comes an age when my teens should have a right to do whatever they want with their own bodies. In my opinion, it’s fine to pick an age to be a legal guideline for when a person is incapable of asserting their own rights, but we should immediately defer to the choice of an individual whenever a person is old enough to demand it.