A guidance counselor from a West Los Angeles high school faces sexual assault charges after she allegedly had a relationship with one of her students earlier this year.

On Thursday, the LA County District Attorney charged Julie Elizabeth Tichon with three felony counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor more than three years younger and one felony count of oral copulation of a person under 18.

She faces a maximum of six years in state prison if convicted as charged. She pleaded not guilty during her arraignment on Thursday. The court released her on her own recognizance as she waits for her next court date on Nov. 1.

  • Taniwha420@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    “Had a relationship with …”

    Sex with a minor. Hmm … sex with a minor. I could swear we had a word for that.

    I often cringe a bit at the rhetoric coming out of the men’s rights corner, but the gender bias around sex with minors in so consistent.

    • TheTechnician27@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      And the same news station KCAL also calls a 31-year-old sexually abusing underage male high school students “having sex” with them. Same deal when the perpetrator was 42.

      For the first one, even after she was convicted in court of “six counts of statutory rape” meaning she has legally been convicted of raping minors and has no grounds for defamation, the headline still reads “Special Ed Teacher Sentenced To State Prison For Sex Acts With Students”.

      Meanwhile, oh wow, who would have guessed? When it’s a male perpetrator against a female victim, the headline reads “Westminster High School student’s aide arrested in sexual assault of 16-year-old girl”. It doesn’t even read “alleged” or “suspicion of” for the male perpetrator like it does for the female ones (and the latter two women even had multiple victims, making the comparison even worse).

      It’s fucking appalling.

      Edit: Oh my god, thank you, Sacramento Bee, for being a role model in this horrible climate of downplaying women who sexually assault minors. Headline reads: “School counselor repeatedly sexually assaults teen, CA cops say. More victims sought”.

    • Franklin@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      It’s my understanding that’s the word rape, even if only alleged is a legal term that can implicate you for defamation up until the person is convicted of the charges.

      Hence why media outlets do not use it until an individual is convicted.

      I am not a lawyer

  • njm1314@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    I’m honestly impressed that a high school guidance counselor spent enough time with a student to develop a “relationship”. I think I only saw my high school guidance counselor twice in four years.

          • Feathercrown@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            Do we have to have this comment every time the victim is male? Have some respect. Men can experience rape too.

            • ravhall@discuss.online
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              2 months ago

              They sure can, and as a male who has been on the receiving end of sexual abuse from women, I understand the difference. Of course, we probably won’t get any additional details about this case. It’s not like the male in question is going to be making a press statement.

              Regardless though, she was in a position of power. Even in a state where the age of consent was 16, this is still inappropriate.

              While I may come off as indifferent, coercive behavior isn’t cool.

  • don@lemm.ee
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    2 months ago

    According to the media, women never rape. They either are raped, or have sexual relationships, but lamestream media has decided for everyone that women themselves never commit the act of rape.

    • taiyang@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Statisticay they are less likely to rape someone, including statutory rape, but it’s always stupid to deal in absolutes. Same is true of mass shootings, domestic violence, etc., it can happen but it’s less likely.

      That said, it’s important to believe rape victims, including those who were raped by women. It’s not just the media in that regard, though, and especially when men are the victim-- it’s especially hard for them to speak out. How many viewers who hear of 16 year old boy being raped by their female teacher and go “nice”? It’s certainly a double standard.

      • TheTechnician27@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Statistics say women are far more likely to develop breast cancer than men, but I imagine if a man contracted breast cancer, people would still call it what it is, say they have breast cancer, attempt to treat it, and move on; not try to tiptoe around calling it breast cancer, equivocate about how men can’t be victims of breast cancer because of some bizarre ad hoc definition of breast cancer being exclusive to women, change the medical definition of breast cancer to not include men instead inventing a separate disease with a heavily euphemized name, joke about how they probably enjoy it, accuse them of lying, and fail to give it a similar level of medical attention that it would get if a woman had breast cancer.

        • taiyang@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          The breast cancer part is interesting because it’s a similar problem. Men aren’t usually targeted by early detection campaigns, and are less likely to seek help so they are more likely to die from it.

  • 2ugly2live@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Really gotta stop calling it “sex” when a woman rapes a child. It’s not only terribly cruel to victims, it makes it seem as women can’t commit that crime period. It’s like saying “he murdered her” VS “she assisted with his early departure.”

  • otp
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    2 months ago

    In many places, the victim being 16 wouldn’t be the problem. It’d be the abuse of trusted authority that the perpetrator has over the victim.

    • Nastybutler@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      I never saw my school’s guidance counselors as people of trusted authority. More like Mr. Mackey from South Park. M’kay

      • otp
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        2 months ago

        Some people never see their parents as trusted authorities, but the laws still treat them as if they are

  • caboose2006@lemmy.ca
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    2 months ago

    It’s not a “sexual relationship” it’s rape of a minor. Weird how they phrase it like that when the charge is rape of a minor. Why would they use neutral voice for this one. 🤔🤔🤔

  • arin@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    The past few months i keep seeing women raping students, titles never reflect the severity tho. Have yet to come across a man doing the same in posts recently