Reliving 15 seconds that changed this man’s life forever
FOR the past six months, I’ve been staring at a 30-pound box filled with court documents and what’s left of a young man’s life following one college night and a 5- to 15-second disputed sex act.
That is, 5 to 15 seconds into the act of sexual intercourse, she said, “Stop.”
He stopped immediately.
She claimed rape.
Thus, before his 23rd birthday, Rich Gorman of Orlando, Fla., was locked behind bars in the Liberty Correctional Institute near Tallahassee, serving a five-year sentence for sexual battery.
One minute a junior at Florida State University majoring in business/computer systems, the next a prison inmate labeled a sex offender.
There can be no dispute that rape is a serious matter, one not to be be belittled or taken lightly. Too often ignored, though is that the accusation of rape is also a serious matter, one that can ruin a life independent of the relative truth of the accusation. Welcome to the world of Rich Gorman.
The only two people who know what happened that night are Gorman and the woman accusing him of raping her. Gorman may well be guilty of rape; regardless of the ultimate disposition of this case, we will like never know exactly what happened that night- and perhaps that is what should be scaring good and decent people. If a man forces a woman to engage in a sexual act against her will, that is a crime and should be prosecuted as such. But what happens when a woman experiences remorse for following through with an act of consensual sex? If she claims rape, can (and should) a man be prosecuted because a woman’s change of heart after the fact? Currently, the answer is a resounding “yes”. And once branded as a sexual offender, whether or not a man is convicted hardly matters. The mere accusation is usually enough to convict him in the mind of the general public. Innocent until proven guilty? Not hardly.
So, to answer the question: How long does it take to ruin a life? Between 5 and 15 seconds. How tragic.
