Essence.com Monday published an interview with Genarlow Wilson, the 21-year-old former inmate who was recently released from prison after the Supreme Court overturned his statutory rape conviction.

Free At Last

On New Years Eve of 2003, the then 17-year-old Wilson, was videotaped getting head receiving “consensual oral sex” from a 15-year-old slut girl. Everyone, including the girl and the prosecution, agreed she initiated the act. But because of an archaic Georgia law, it was a misdemeanor for teenagers less than three years apart to have sexual intercourse, but a with child molestation felony for the same kids to have oral sex. Afterward, the state legislature changed the law to include an oral sex clause, but that didn’t help Wilson because curiously the law was written to not apply to cases retroactively. Wisely Wilson refused the state’s plea deal which would have branded him a sex offender for life and the the honor roll student-athlete was sentenced to ten-years.

Friday, nearly two years after sentencing, the Georgia Supreme Court Friday ruled 4-3 that it was cruel and unusual punishment and released Wilson.

Wilson told Essence why he’s not bitter:

“I can’t let my frustrations get the best of me. It’s not going to make matters any easier for me. Either way it goes, it’s still going to be hard for me. But now I get to start over. It’s a new beginning, and I’m looking forward to it. I’ve turned all the negative energy into something positive…I know that the decisions I made were not the best ones, and I did stuff that I probably shouldn’t have done that night. But I can’t go back and change anything, and for the most part I recognize my mistake.”

Go on and get your meat swabbed Wilson. Just check ID’s and make sure you aint on no one’s nanny cam. But no seriously, you’re a man now and being black in the south had more to do with your conviction than anything. Although the DA was correct in convicting under the Law, legal discretion WOULD have been taken had the suspect not been an intelligent young promising black man. But its not entirely about race. Its important for us ALL to live our lives but be CONSCIOUS that the system in which we live is not always just. And given an opportunity, crooked cops and biased attorney’s WILL take advantage of you. Our actions don’t always demand the consequences we receive but we can minimize the chances but making correct decisions.