The Lazarus Trial and a Case for Changing the Laws Around Consent
You probably heard that Luke Lazarus was found not guilty of sexual assault this week. What you might not have heard is that he was found not guilty despite a jury and two judges determining that the complainant, Saxon Mullins, had NOT consented to sex with him. Upon finding that piece of information out, most people are confused. If someone doesn’t consent, isn’t that rape? Well, the answer to that question might depend on where you live. Saxon Mullins’ identity has been protected for five years because she is a sexual assault complainant. Five years ago, Saxon Mullins was eighteen and had the first sexual encounter in her life. I don’t want to detail that encounter here. It’s Mullins’ story. If you aren’t familiar with this case, here are Mullins’ own words , but if you can’t read them, for brevity I will point out that the sex happened within four minutes of the pair meeting and it was anal. Mullins calls the encounter rape. Lazarus states it was a misunderstanding. Laza...