The TV tropes article on value dissonance makes an interesting point on this:

"That the age of consent is 16 or less in most of Europe but 18 in some US states gives rise to some dissonance when discussions arise about the attractiveness and availability of 16- and 17-year-olds. 16 is actually common in the US (30 states out of 50), but not many seem to realize this- probably because it's 18 in California, where a lot of the US entertainment industry is based."

Tech industry is also based in California. This is a California morality issue not an American morality issue, there's no US wide agreement on what is an acceptable age of consent.

Note that while the age of consent for consensual sexual varies by state, if money or trafficking is involved (prostitution), it jumps to 18 by federal law.

Thanks for the clarifications. Prostitution isn't my cup of tea, so typically don't worry about the finer points of it. Not morally against it.

Hmm... if the Roy Moore controversy is anything to go by the US religious zealots are in tune with the French in this respect.

Maybe the other Americans are right on this one?

> In response to a student pointing out that Giuffre was 17 when she was forced to have sex with Minsky in the Virgin Islands, Stallman said “it is morally absurd to define ‘rape’ in a way that depends on minor details such as which country it was in or whether the victim was 18 years old or 17.”

Did she have sex with Minsky?