"After being arrested, I was suicidal and hopeless," said Austin Yabandith, a 17-year-old from Superior, Wisconsin. "As of right now, I am just hoping for the best and preparing for the worst."
Austin could spend up to 40 years in prison for having naked photos of his 15-year-old girlfriend on his cell phone, as well as a video of the couple having sex. Authorities charged him with sexual assault of a child, sexual exploitation, and possession of child pornography even though he didn't assault anyone, nor share the photos. And under Wisconsin law, he is still a minor himself.
This is just another in a long line of cases in which teens are charged with sex crimes for having naked pictures of themselves or their partners. Austin's case is similar to that of North Carolina high schooler and quarterback Cormega Copening, a 17-year-old who faced 10 years in jail and was nearly forced to register as a sex offender for having naked pictures of himself. He and his girlfriend are legally allowed to have sex, but not to sext!
I was nearly charged with possession and distribution of child pornography for having nude photos of myself when I was a teenager, so I know how it feels to not be considered the owner of your body under the law. Our country is wasting taxpayer dollars and ruining lives over victimless, nonviolent crimes like this. This is just another example of governments criminalizing sexual agency, furthering the atrocious school-to-prison pipeline, and exacerbating the problem of mass incarceration, especially of people of color, in the U.S.
In early Sept. Cormega agreed to a plea deal, and all felony charges were dropped.
But Austin may suffer a far worse fate than Cormega. That's because Wisconsin is one of just a few states with no Romeo and Juliet exception to the law. This exception allows for consensual relationships between underage teens if the "perpetrator" is no more than 4 years older than the other person.
Please sign this petition to urge Wisconsin to add a Romeo and Juliet exception to its sex crimes laws and to drop the charges against Austin Yabandith! 