Comments on R. Kelly

The Verdict: NOT GUILTY BY REASON OF CELEBRITY.

Praise Jayzus!!

Dan, remember Michael Jackson?

Only one way to find out.

That's because gay sex is wrong.

R. Kelly isn't gay? His music sure is.

Have any of us seen the video? I believe the verdict was probably made based on their not thinking it was proved beyond a reasonable doubt that it was indeed R. Kelly in the video. Second-guessing juries is always tempting, but really, we have no idea what they saw or how they reached their conclusion, and just have to go on the assumption that they weighed the evidence and found it came up lacking.

Whether or not a gay man's ass would be acquitted, of course, depends on the venue. Having the "victim" (and a few relations) state that he was not the person depicted on the videotape might also help, even in a non-ideal venue.

@2 - You sucked the words out of my brain.

Unfortunately those of us who remember when a 27 year-old R. Kelly married a 15 year-old Aaliyah, have been waiting 6 long years for the Pied Pedo to finally get locked up for this one, and get the help he needs. I'm disappointed.

I'm sure a gay priest pop star could get away with it.

@6 "...they weighed the evidence and found it came up lacking?" Really? I'm starting to think that Dave Chappelle was right. In order to convict this guy the jury wanted to see his grandmother in the video calling him by name.

Just as long as he keeps putting out Trapped in the Closet episodes, he can pee on all the underage girls he wants. Those things are a national treasure.

Dan,

I'm pretty sure the evidence was incredibly problematic....

Like the age of the girl changing time and again.

Re: Comment #6
Uhh yeah, I have seen the video, and I can tell you that there is absolutely nothing doubtful about his acts, let alone reasonable doubt. That makes this acquittal even worse in my eyes. What next, a celebrity gets videotaped murdering someone and they get acquitted?

This reminds me of a quote from the Roman philosopher Solon: "Laws are like spider's web: If some poor, weak creature comes up against them, it is caught; but a bigger one can break through and get away."

You should read the Slate coverage of the trial, the defense turned it into an absolute circus. For instance, one of the founding theories was based on that "Little Man" movie. Ya know, the one where they put a grown man's head on a baby body?

Hey, apparently you don't need to be a good lawyer to run defense to win a trial! Just ridiculous in every way (see also the Sr. lawyer's "shiny suits.")

Great shades of O.J.!

Americans need to start being much more selective about who they send to prison. If I ever get on a jury I won't convict for any crimes if they aren't forcible rape or murder. Period.

Roger Clements isn't in jail either. The only reason R. Kelly was even brought to trial was probably because of the watersports thing - probably freaked people out. Celebrity and statutory rape seem to be pretty well tolerated time and time again.

It's funny - the issues these guys have that drive them to fuck little girls is probably the same issue that drives them to video tape it. Even with the evidence though, no conviction? Have any of these cases resulted in a conviction?

The victim here is a 13 year old girl, not gay people.

I cannot figure out how you twisted the issue around to be about sexual orientation. I just can't follow the logic at all.
Somehow the trajedy has something to do with the persecution of gays? He got away with it because he's straight?
Wow. How big is the chip on your shoulder anyway?

19: There is no logic at work here. Just a chip on the shoulder.

It's worth noting that he was acquitted of child pornography after both he *and* the alleged victim said that he was not the guy on the tape, and that the star prosecution witness flat out admitted to stealing from R. Kelly.

I don't see what sexual orientation has to do with it at all; is the assertion that juries can't tell gay men apart as well as they can tell straight men apart? Or what?

Mind you, I despise R. Kelly, his music, and that whole culture of affectation and posing. But I'm willing to defer to the jury's opinion here, and I don't believe for a second that sexual orientation had anything to do with the acquittal.

There was never a tape shown of Michael Jackson peeing on anyone.

You know what's the real crime here? R. Kelly has apparently won a Grammy. If it wasn't for "Most Ludicrous Concept Video Series Ever," someone has some 'splainin' to do.

Uh, what? Your blurb fails to mention that the alleged victim herself says it's not her on the tape, Kelly has a big mole that the guy on the tape apparently doesn't, and several other close aquaintainces of both say it's not them. Might that not have created some reasonable doubt for the jurors?

I have no idea whether Kelly did this or not, but your take on the whole affair is just bizarre. You were so intent on finding some way to tie the media-circus story-of-the-day into your paranoid world-view that everything that happens is a part of the big conspiracy to keep teh gays down, that imagined that these jurors walked into the jury-room and said: "clearly he's guilty as sin, but he's straight, so let's let him off." Yeah right, Dan, we all know society always goes easy on straight pedophiles. What are you smoking?

Just more proof that an unequal justice system favors black men who flaunt a gangster image.

@18

What are you talking about? He gave her money.

@13: Solon was an Athenian.

@ 2 there is a difference between a gay man and a pedophile

@ 16 an adult having sex with a 13-year-old or a 14-year-old *is* a form of non-consensual sex because even the most well-adjusted 14-year-old cannot give consent. also i feel like it is a lot easier to coerce someone who is basically a little girl into being humiliated without using force. just the staggering age and size differences alone would shift the power here, not to mention when you factor in celebrity and the trust she would have for her godfather. whoever was on that video totally took advantage of that girl

also, the title of this post should have been "Every Child Needs a Mother and a Godfather"

Things America won't tolerate, in increasing order of public outrage:

white heterosexul man molestering underage female

I know of one case in which a "gay-identified" man molested his daughter for several years, she was basically publicly humiliated for some time, socially ostracized, and he kept his job as a doctor treating the most vulnerable tier of society (at a public clinic) and you want to tell me this crap about sexual orientation, no tolerance for white men molesting underage females (what- is it accepted if she's his daughter and therefore property?) He gets off b/c in this hyper-p.c. world so-called "gay men" are persecuted saints, incapable of sexually abusing a female? we must live on different planets.

I would just add that I say "so-called" because I don't think all people who identify as gay are strictly gay or saints either. And I certainly don't think all gay men are pedophiles, and I also don't think men who identify as gay can blame all their bad or criminal behavior on living in a homophobic society. Andrew Cunnanin ring any bells? I will also assert that one cannot make any blanket generalizations about any group, and that includes gay men. I would assert that everyone is an individual, and they are the way they are due to a wide range of variables, and that includes sexual behavior. There is a completely variable interplay between genes, environment (including trauma) and personal choices.

Feel free to remove my post, Dan, I just had to say my piece b/c every case is different, and I don't think it's fair to blame all injustice on homophobia, b/c some "gay" men do bad things and b/c of some other form of power (money, influence, authority) they get away with it just as easily as the straight rich black guy does.

Woops, sorry Dan. Problems posting the other day. Here's the full post:

Things America won't tolerate, in increasing order of public outrage:

-white heterosexual man molestering underage female
-white heterosexual religious leader man molestering underage female
-white heterosexual man molestering underage boy
-white heterosexual religious leader man molestering underage boy
-white religious nut kidnapping underage Mormon girl and making her his "plural wife" and not really trying to prevent her escape
-black man having consensual sex with white female over 18
-black man molestering underage female
-black man molestering underage blonde, blue eyed, attractive female
-black man molestering underage blonde, blue eyed, attractive female, Mormon kidnapping
-Natalie Merchant and Charles Mudede singing acoustic duet of "Endless Love", with Natalie playing tambourine but with Charles doing the twirling on stage

Maybe I've got some of that out of order. It could be fleshed out. Make your own Paula Poundstone joke. I'm not even sure where she fits into any of this, or what actually happened in her case. Or what her deal is.