KATU-TV has an interview of Letourneau.

I blanch at hearing the word "rape" used in this case, since it suggests forcing someone to have sex against their will, which clearly did not happen in this case. It's a purely legal definition for a woman who presumably took advantage of a youth by giving him what he wanted. Personally, I've always been kind of sympathetic toward her -- like every other man I know, I can't help but wish she had been my teacher. I wish her the best.

And yet if a male teacher had pursued a sexual relationship with a 12-year-old female student you'd no doubt hold a different opinion. I'm not sure how you can view her sympathetically -- she basically abandoned her own children to have sex with someone else's child. At best, she sounds like a very sick, sad woman.

Mac Diva, I'm not a lawyer, so maybe you can answer a question for me. What's the basis for the no-contact order? I can understand why a judge issues something like a restraining order in certain cases, but in this instance, the young man involved is now an adult and clearly wants to have contact with her.

"And yet if a male teacher had pursued a sexual relationship with a 12-year-old female student you'd no doubt hold a different opinion."

Absolutely -- that's an ENTIRELY different ballgame.

"I'm not sure how you can view her sympathetically -- she basically abandoned her own children to have sex with someone else's child. At best, she sounds like a very sick, sad woman."

I don't think she's sick, but it's entirely true she was a bad mom and a poor role model, that she's a slave to her own romantic passions, and that she's profoundly immature. But I love any woman who errs on the side of desire; it's such a purely human thing to do.

Rodney, the woman ruined the boy's life. How do you find anything positive or sympathetic in her behavior? I'm sorry, but an adult pursuing sex with a 12-year-old [had his voice even changed?] is not even close to a consensual relationship.

There is absolutely no difference between a man pursuing a 12-year-old girl and a woman going after a 12-year-old boy.

Do you think the priests who had sex with adolescent boys were just being romantic? It's the exact same situation, except that a woman was in the position of power over the child.

The men I talk to don't wish this woman was their teacher. They know that there's something very wrong with her.

I'll be interested to see if she's as interested in the young man today, now that he's an adult and not a kid.

MD, *very* interesting backstory about the woman's father!

Totally in agreement with you, bhw. I don't get the double standard being applied here. The fact that this young man appears to have no prospects for his future is likely a direct consequence of this very fucked-up relationship. I could call whatever passion drove this relationsip by a lot of names, but "romantic" wouldn't be on the list.

Actually, she ruined her own life -- or the courts did, bless her heart. I don't see his life as being exactly ruined; he's still young, after all, and he didn't go to jail. He just has to figure out a way to find a job and support two kids. That isn't her fault, though; he could have walked away. Remember, no force was involved.

"Sorry, but an adult pursuing sex with a 12-year-old [had his voice even changed?] is not even close to a consensual relationship."

Oh, I'd say it's close. Like I say, he could have walked. Why didn't he? Did she make him stay? Did she beg him? Or was he just acting on his own desires?

"There is absolutely no difference between a man pursuing a 12-year-old girl and a woman going after a 12-year-old boy."

There's every difference. How can a woman rape a man, unless perhaps she holds a knife to his throat? She can't. What you're talking about is rape, as I said, only in the legal sense of the word, i.e., statuatory rape; in the real world, it's seduction.

"Do you think the priests who had sex with adolescent boys were just being romantic?"

Good point! But hardly the "exact same situation," since in most of those cases you had priests who were threatening children and so forth, and taking advantage of their naivete. My own personal belief, though, is that an erection is very much an act of will, and if the erection is yours then you simply are not completely blameless. I can't see it any other way.

"The men I talk to don't wish this woman was their teacher. They know that there's something very wrong with her."

Have you actually talked to a man who has said those words to you? Well, different strokes as they say. I thought all men fantasized at some point in their life about getting it on with a teacher; I know I did. Young boys today are so lucky, when you think about it -- we now live in a world where there are not only Mary LeTourneaus, but even smoking hot blonde teachers are doing the nasty with their students. It makes you wanna go back to school! As Lou Reed once sang, "it's the beginning of a new age"!

A woman or a man, who has children with children, is motivated by selfish interests and not love. If there was love there, the adult would know that the best interest of the child is to be a child now and a parent later in life, and out of love the adult would do what is best and withhold sex until the child was of age.

This woman cut his childhood short for her own reasons. It sounds like she was lonely, depressed, etc. so I understand that, and hope she got help, but she acted selfishly.

Now that they are adults and both still want to be together, they should be given a chance to make the best life they can for their new family. Their relationship had a dysfunctional beginning, but it doesn't mean it has to remain that way.

Well the religious right would be glad to know that at least Mary Kay Letourneau and her lover are heterosexuals.

I'm tempted to say that Mrs. LeTourneau was possessed of a "selfish love," but I tend to defer to the Apostle Paul on these matters, and he seems to think that's an oxymoron. So let's just say what the two of them had was a mutual lust.

Well, no, YOU can say that, but I wouldn't.

You don't think there was a mutual lust? The records tell a different story.

Yes there was lust, but lust can stem from many factors, some of them selfish. A person on the rebound, who cannot be alone, will develop an attachment to another individual to avoid being alone. The bonding is there, yes, but not for the reasons of compatibility or just pure love, but for the side effect of not being alone. This is usually subconscious and not intentional, but it is selfish.

She's done her time though, and she'll be known for this the rest of her life, so I'd say she's paid for her selfishness. Hopefully they can get started raising their kids as best they can, and I wish them all the best for that.

To which I can only add one thing: the relationship borne of stupid selfish lust is the norm and love is the exception, so I'm not sure that the emotional circumstances under which these children were born are all that different from the several thousdand children born in the time it took me to post this response. Lustful relationships can become loving, over time, at least from one side. Time will only tell which is the case with this one.

I'm not sure that the emotional circumstances under which these children were born are all that different from the several thousdand children born in the time it took me to post this response.

This is true, children have children all the time.

Lustful relationships can become loving, over time, at least from one side. Time will only tell which is the case with this one.

This is true, a relationship that starts out dysfunctional doesn't have to remain that way.

Rodney! Rodney! Rodney! I hope you are playing devil's advocate, but fear you are not.

To answer a couple of questions:

*The no contact order exists because Faulaau is a victim or sexual abuse. It would normally last for his life time. However, a judge can lift it if he, not the perp, requests it. Most judges are skeptical because abusers exercise a great deal of psychological power over their victims. So, getting them to request an end to a no contact order can be more manipulation by the abuser. (BTW, I also believe this psychological aspect is what Rodney is overlooking. The dominant party in a relationship often controls it. Between an adult and a child, that dominant person is likely to be the adult and the degree of domination much greater than between two adults.)

*Good catch to the commenters who wondered how one defines rape when the victim is male. There is a legal conflict in regard to this issue in the statutory rape context. Some states have statutes that apply rape only to female victims. They follow Rodney's reasoning that 'getting it up' is a voluntary act. Therefore, a male cannot be raped. (They do not reach other acts, such as anal sex, obviously.) Washington, where Letourneau was prosecuted, and some other states have gender neutral statutes. Either gender can be raped.

MARY K.!!!! Ah shucks. hhhmmm... Well, having been plowed with Mary Kay LeTourneau for years up here in the Seattle area, all I can say is I love Mary K.

You know, something weird happened. Student and teacher got involved. Mary did 7 and a half years. Villi F.(now 21) and trying to get the no contact order removed so they can both see each other. Well, they both have a situation on their hands.

I dunno...Mary is OK in my book. I'm not going to harsh out on her.

peaceloveguidance

Douglas, are you saying you know her? (Not necessarily in a Biblical sense.)

Ok, MD, I agree with you completely on this one.

That is, unless you're implying that her disfunctionality was partially a result of her father's political leanings. You said, "Letourneau's own background sheds some light on the situation" then gave a brief overview of his politics immediately after.I would agree that her father having a second family could cause issues for her, but are you implying his politics was an issue as well. If not, why point it out?

I did not go deeper into the father's history because the entry is about Letourneau's child rape scandal. John Schmitz also had a longterm relationship with a student of his, who later worked for him. She bore him two children, who he refused to support. They eventually ended up in an orphanage. Schmitz based his behavior on his deeply reactionary beliefs about the proper roles of men and women and his Catholicism. (Yes, I am aware that a person who is conservative and Catholic need not end up believing the things he did.) Mary Letourneau was her father's favorite child. When his scandal broke, she sided with him, blaming her mother for the second 'wife.' She said her Mom was too cold of a woman and drove her beloved Dad into the other woman's arms. In regard to Fualaau, she has said he was a 'man' who mastered her, despite his being 12 and 13 when these events occurred.

Another commonality father and daughter shared is a belief in being fruitful. Neither of them seems to give much thought to the necessities needed to rear children, but they believe in not using birth control, opposition to abortion and having as many kids as possible. So, it seems to me that their psychological proclivities, political beliefs and morals all came together to result in their respective scandalous behavior. So, yes, I am saying Schmitz and Schmitz-Letourneau were both products of their politics to an extent.

"I'm not a lawyer, so maybe you can answer a question for me. What's the basis for the no-contact order? I can understand why a judge issues something like a restraining order in certain cases, but in this instance, the young man involved is now an adult and clearly wants to have contact with her."

I'm not a lawyer either, but it seems rather obvious to me.

In the eyes of the law, she RAPED him. It is therefore a no-brainer that the court would bar her from contacting her victim.

If, say, a man brutally raped a woman and was sent to prison, dontcha think the courts would strongly suggest he stay away from her upon his release from prison?

Mac Diva:

No, no, I don't know her on the personal level. But, hell, up here the local news stations have everything, it seems, on the case. Mary K. on all the local news for just about anything.

So it is a heavy contact via media thing...

peaceloveguidance

Ok, so from what you're relaying, I would say that their beliefs were based more on Catholicism than politics. The parts about "not using birth control, opposition to abortion and having as many kids as possible" are about as Catholic as they come. Granted, a large portion of the right-wingers are anti-abortion, but the birth control and having as many kids as possible parts are purely Catholic (See Monty Python's "The Meaning of Life" for a funnier spin on that issue). I am a Christian myself (Lutheran), but I have major issues with the Catholic church. Let's just say witch burnings and that whole "Inquisition" thing were just bad ideas. Not to mention the Crusades. I would say the motivations you are citing are far more religeous than political.

In the eyes of the law, she RAPED him. It is therefore a no-brainer that the court would bar her from contacting her victim.

If, say, a man brutally raped a woman and was sent to prison, dontcha think the courts would strongly suggest he stay away from her upon his release from prison?

I understand the use of the word "rape" in this context to be more of a legal determination rather than an instance of violently forced sexual contact, which this was clearly not. So your analogy of a brutally attacked woman isn't really relevant. I don't have any experience with the legal system RJ, so do forgive me for wanting to have a point clarified.

EWG, Have as many kids as possible is not a view of the Catholic Church. Vatican II made that clear. How much of the pre-Vatican II view was held by the Church and how much was poor understanding by the mambers of the Church is a question I don't have an answer to. Today, many Catholics ignore the teachings on birth control but others, who follow the teachings, use natural family planning (poorly named the rhythm method) quite well.

I think that the degenerate serve the same time as a male. A male predator would have served at least fifteen years (which still isn't enough). Either way screwing a sixth grader is utterly sickening. There should also be a law that would require a woman to drop her married name and return to her maiden name upon divorce if requested by the former husband. Let the bitch bring scrutiny to her original name rather than the good name of someone who is innocent, especially her first kids with the Letourneau name.

She is a danger to kids. She went against the judges orders countless times in and out of prison. She was put in to solitary numerous times for trying to send sexually explicit letters to Vili.

Who is to say that once the "new" wears off that the plight to rescue and fuck yet another child won't happen again? She definately has no regard for the law. Further, the time is running out on interest in her book and movie deals to the public, not to mention her biological clock. What better way to rise like the Phoinex from the ashes than to get pregnant again by a child.

Mary Kay, you are a stupid gutter whore who needs to be sterilized and made wear one of those belts that covers your pussy. (Sorry but I can't remember what they are called). You can only piss and not fuck belts I guess?

That would be a "Chastity" Belt you're
thinking of.

If any news pops out up here regarding the case, I'll try to relay it. Right now Villi F. and lawyers are trying to remove the no contact order. Ain't love sweet. They will make it, for a while it looks like.

Mary grabbed an apartment in a decent city neighborhood up her. Who know, might see her at one of the clubs rockin' out...

peaceloveguidance, Mary....

I will agree that the Vatican clarified the have as many children as possible issue, but the ban on birth control tends to make that a reality as a side effect for people who do follow all the rules of the church. And as you said, today many Catholics tend to worship "buffet-style" as they pick which tenets of the faith they like and ignore the ones they disagree with.

That assumes that natural family planning does not work. It does but why it does and when it does requires a conversation that I can barely have with my husband. I'm not going there.

Actually, a certain response has gone pretty far. So, I might as well try to answer the 'Can a man be raped?' question. I didn't go there because it is inherently prurient. But, what the heck.

The issue came up in a different context when I wrote a couple blog items about love man singer Teddy Pendergrass a couple weeks ago. He began touring again, successfully, in 2001. Several readers wanted to know if a quadriplegic can still be a love man. The underlying assumption being that if a man is not voluntarily able to get an erection he can't do 'it.' I worked on some tort cases involving severely injured men years ago and have kept up with the medical literature. Paralyzed men can achieve erections through different kinds of stimulation, from physical to electric. Since the advent of drugs like Viagra, less direct stimulation is possible for many of them. So, the belief that erections can only be achieved voluntarily is pretty dated. If stimulation of the organ occurs, the communication from brain to body that makes sex 'voluntary' need not take place. This may not apply to Fualaau, he seems more brainwashed than anything else, but it means a man can be raped.

Ok, to present opinions, I found this letter to the editor in today's Seattle Times. It goes like this:

Mary K. Letourneau still doesn't get it, but child rapists seldom do.

At the age of 34, Letourneau successfully groomed and seduced 12-year-old Vili Fualaau, one of her 6th grade pupils. Fualaau has not fared well after being prematurely sexualized. He has dropped out of school, shown a poor work history, faced difficulties with drugs and alchohol, been in trouble with the law and suffered psychiatric hospitalization.

As a childrens advocate, I have always questioned Letourneau's celebrity. Imagine if she were a male teacher who twice impregnated a 12 year old girl. Would she have been sentenced to only six months in prison for her first child rape conviction? Would she now be invited to appear on "Oprah"? Would she be allowed to pen an autobiography for profit as the courts have ruled she has a right to do? I think not.

Letourneau doesn't get it, but neither does our society. How are we going to protect the next genration of vulnerable children if we turn child predators into celebrities who are allowed to profit from their misdeeds?

-Stanley D. Wilson, Ph.D, executive director, Protect-A-Child-Today (PACT),
Everett, WA

Just a point of view not necessarily reflecting the views of peaceloveguidance.

(Everett is a city north of Seattle where they build 747's and 767's).

Oh, gotta another interesting letter to post, upcoming sometime, when I get around to it...

OK, here we go. That other opinion from the Seattle Times today:

Mary K. Letourneau is getting released from jail. After the expense of the trial and seven years of taxpayer cost to keep her in jail ($350,000), what is the end result?

She is (probably) going to marry the "kid" she raped. He has always stated that he wanted to be with her. ("Fualaau asks court to lift Letourneau no-contact order", Local News, Aug 5)

In a world where there are cultures in which children as young as 12 are married, and our country, where children can be emamcipated at age 16, why do we use this nonsense approach to protect our children?

Society has inflicted harm to the two daughters who have been without a mother for 7 years and have had to visit her in jail.

In the end, the result is the same. They will be together as they planned. There has to be a better solution.

Michael Barr, Sammamish, WA

(Sammamish is a bedroom community east of Seattle)

peaceloveguidance

This just in on the 5pm local news: NO-CONTACT ORDER LIFTED! They get to see each other again....

peaceloveguidance

The stage is set. The state of Washington should be prepared to welcome a new citizen in Spring 2005. Letourneau has been pregnant with twins in the past, so there may be multiple new citizens.

I suspect this sick bitch will go after an 11 year old next. Why not? They can spunk, right? (I could at that age...)

All this sicko wants is attention and babies. I believe she'll get both, shortly...

I'm with Rodney Welch; if, at 12 years of age, some hot teacher had offered to do the wild thing with a young testosterone laden Shark, I'd have jumped on it, literally and figuratively.

Jeesus. Go to school and get sex?! Not to mention a huge improvement in grades?!

Man, what's not to like?

And talk about an uptick in attendance: I'd go early and stay late.

Shark, with you on that one...

plg

Mac Diva -- The Teddy Pendergast thing doesn't impress me and doesn't relate to the case. The fact of the matter is this: rape is something done against one's will. An erection by its very nature is a reaction of one's own desire, which is why a rape "victim" who has an erection is no victim at all. Call this whatever you want, but it isn't rape.

If you go back to some previous comments, we were discussing how some jurisdictions don't prosecute women for raping men, Rodney. The rationale is that an erection is voluntary. But, as I was saying in regard to paralysis, the physical reaction and voluntariness, in the sense of intent, can be separate. Treating them as one is not supported by the evidence.

The Letourneau-Fualaau situation is so far out, I don't know quite how to characterize it. But, the psychological dominance of the adult seems important to me in that context.

Stick to the issue, Mac -- this kid got a hard-on for the same reason everyone does; he wanted it. Same the voluntary/involntary stuff for another chat. It doesn't apply here. Besides -- has this kid ever said he was raped? Isn't his opinion on this matter as valid as yours or mine?

Yes, the kid has said he was raped. He sued the school district and local government for not protecting him from his rapist -- Mary Kay Letourneau. It was an understandable effort by a poverty-stricken family to obtain some funds from the public purse. Failed miserably. The jury refused to award the Fualaau's one red cent. The contradictory statements he has made and his and his family's unsavory criminal history made people less than sympathetic.

Fualaau is not someone who can be used effectively in an argument for, let's say, sexual freedom for children. He is too much of a poster child for dysfunction, Rodney. Having sex at ten. Drinking and smoking, too. Impregnating a grown woman at 13. Drugs. Mental health hospitalizations. Gang banging. Criminal charges. A drop out. Unemployable. Perhaps there is a 12-year-old boy somewhere who would suffice as a model for allowing children to get it on. Fualaau is not that person.

Look, at 12 I would have been more than happy to have sex with an adult woman. I suspect there are also 12 year old girls who would voluntarily have sex with an adult man.

But, according to current American law, true consent can not be given at such a young age.

If this defendent in this were to "get off" (pardon the pun) simply because the "victim" got a boner, and a boner supposedly means consent, then how about a 30 year old male teacher having sex with a 12 year old, 6th grade girl?

I mean, if she lubricates, it's consentual, right?

The new book Mass With Mary is out...I saw the author on NBC Dateline and I need this book!!! HELP!!!!

Sherryl, I think that book has been around awhile, but went out of print. Used copies may be available at Amazon or Powell's. I am not going to express an opinion in regard to the author, a fellow inmate who claims to have had a prison affair with Mary Kay.

Mary K was today registered as a sex offender in Seattle. The neighborhood meeting dealing with their new citizen drew very few people. No one is worried about her.

If you enter Mary's zip code into the sex offender site you'll find 27 other registered sex offenders.

Mary is the least of their problems.

peaceloveguidance

I lived near her and had an adolescent son, I'd be worried.

Are Mary Kay and the youth together? Fill us, in, Doug. I haven't kept up with that saga.

However, I did think about it while doing some research on the hot young singer/rapper Jaheim. He is in his early 20s, legal and fine as can be. But, still, to a mature woman like me he hardly seems dry behind the ears.

Whoops. Put an "If" at the front of my comment #48.

Mac, I'm not sure. I know the no contact order has been lifted. I guess that will be the next story in this saga. Mary and Vili living together on the hill? Wouldn't that be the kicker. Well, they have kids together. Maybe he'll bring some of his friends over to be entertained. Oh sorry, I was being sick. Maybe not.

Just keep an eye on the local news I guess. Something will keep coming up. It attracts viewers.

peaceloveguidance

NEWSFLASH!!! Yup, Vili and Mary Kay want to get married! They see each other all the time. Anyway, we knew this would happen...

peaceloveguidance

Mary Kay and Barbara Walters on 20/20 right now. This is really great stuff. They local news is gonna fill us in on what we didn't see. Cool, I'll fill ya'll in if it worthwhile...

The local news (KOMO 4, ABC affiliate) just had an interview with Mary Kay (who watched 20/20 at the TV studio with Kathy Goertzen-anchor/reporter). She is glad to have her voice heard. Getting used to being in society after prison will take some time. Get to know the real Mary is what she says.

Mary Kay and Vili are an item. They have kids. Whether they get married or not, they still will spend their time together. How long will it last? Who knows, it will take on all the aspects of a somewhat regular relationship.

I dunno. That's entertainment.

peaceloveguidance

Isn't Mary Kay the company that gives out pink cadillacs for selling shitty cosmetics?

I smell an endorsement deal here!!!

After seeing her 20/20 interview last night and reading a lot about it online today, I don't think either Mary or Villi intended for anyone to get hurt in this bizarre situation. I think they were/are two very emotionally needy people who got swept up in finding their connection, as twisted as it seems. Ultimately, yes, i do believe Mary SHOULD have acted more responsibly as the adult she was, but there seems to be a tremendous depth of psychological issues on both sides. It seems somewhat of a shame that instead of getting the psychological help and support they needed she was convicted as a "rapist" and put away for 7 1/2 years and I do not believe she is a pedophilic threat to other children as from all accounts HE seems to have been the initiator. People seem to forget all the cultures out there in the world who recognize that there are individuals, rare as they may be, that can reach a higher level of maturity by 12-13 years.

Where is there any evidence Vili Fualaau has reached a 'higher level of maturity'? He is a high school dropout, a gangbanger, sire of three children fathered while he was a child, who has never held a job. The ability of these two psychotic folks to manipulate some people is astounding. I think it is because they push emotional buttons such as 'love,' and 'family.' The manipulees don't stop to look at what Mary Kay and her scrub have actually perpetrated. In reality, they have destroyed a family and created two additional children who will likely have deep emotional problems, too.

So, the show will go on. That will feed LeTourneau's apparently insatiable desire for attention. I don't know what the denouement will be. I do hope it is not violent.

The ability of these two psychotic folks to manipulate some people is astounding.

Couldn't agree more, MD. And the key to this bizarre approval of their relationship remains that the child in this case was a boy and the adult a woman. If the genders were reversed, we'd be hearing fewer supportive voices, I think. Why is a 12-year-old boy any less a victim than a 12-year-old girl? Makes zero sense to me.

NEWSFLASH!!!! Mary Kay announces her engagement to Vili tonight. Just on the local news....

Lawd! Will she wear a white dress at the wedding?

"Why is a 12-year-old boy any less a victim than a 12-year-old girl?"
Because, BHW, males want sexual contact at least 100K times more than females. Due to that fact, a relationship such as the one between MKL and Vili is pretty much gauranteed to be consentual.

While I don't believe in punishing women who have sex with minor males, I do think they should be put on some kind of registry that young boys can peruse at their own leisure. It could have some kind of private messaging system, so that the boy can initiate contact with a woman he is interested in.

That would be a total hit - A young buck's dream come true. He might even be lucky enough to find someone like this:
http://www.gorillamask.net/lafave_debra_bike.jpg
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/graphics/art3/0628042teach1.jpg
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0628042teach1.html

Aw, who am I kidding? The courts of Washington State have pretty much set a prescedent of denying boys their right to be happy. Too bad. I know I'd be pissed if I were still in grade school when MKL made the news.

Agreed on Debra LaFave. I think of her as an erotic philanthropist.

NEWSFLASH!!!!! I just picked up the morning paper (here in Seatle) and here it is: April 16 is the wedding date!!!! hhhmmm.... I can just imagine what the registry must be...canned goods or something....

peaceloveguidance...

OK, what broke the story on the proposed April 16 wedding date is the fact that they signed up on the Bon-Macy's Department Store bridal registry.

Mary may want china but Vili probably wants Spiderman jammies.....

The desk behind me in the office has a radio that usually is running Dr. Laura (Schlessinger) in the afternoon. Should have heard her comments today on this - she seemed more offended that this couple were asking for wedding gifts than that they are marrying.

I'm happy for Mary Kay and Vili. Personally, anyone who can wait for someone 7 1/2 years must have some kind of strong feelings for one another. How many people in this world would wait that long to be with someone I love? Maybe we need to evaluate our own relationships. So I feel it was more than sex. Yes, his life hasn't went anywhere, but that happens to a lot of people. I think they love each other. He's probably experienced a lot more in his life than many other young men-so they are more on the same level.
Plus come on-who hasn't fantisized about having sex with a teacher in high school? I know everyone probably had a crush on one and would bang them especially a hormone-enraged teen or pre-teen. So you really can't blame him. Maybe she wasn't getting the attention or love at home...but I say if they are happy and in love now he is legal, let them be together.
I don't see her as a threat. How many older men date a younger woman today? Large age differences are so common today. Like Debra LaFave, a young hott teacher-her student was only about 10 yrs younger. Hell come on-she's gorgeous, I don't know what pre-teen boy would say no to her?
Yet look at how many couples are together later in life with 10-20+ year age differences! Hell Ashton Kutcher, Justin Timberlake, etc. all went for women older because they are established and will take care of them. The woman might want someone more youthful and fun, someone to help her realize the simple things in life.
It's the same with the younger women too-a guy wants a young chick to fuck and the girl wants an older more mature man to commit to who will take care of, spoil her, and make her life easy.
I wish them all the luck in this world. Love is complicated enough without other peoples' opinions. If they love each other-he is now legal so they should stay together if that's what they want.