In California, “stealing” during sex is now illegal thanks to a newly signed law. The law makes California the first state in the United States to ban stealth, an act that involves covertly (and therefore without consent) removing a condom during sexual activity.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signs AB-453 The law will come into force on October 7, 2021. The bill, sponsored by state legislator Cristina Garcia, would amend state law to define stealth as a form of sexual activity. Specifically, the state’s definition of sexual battery includes removing the condom during sex without the verbal consent of the sexual partner, causing contact between the genitals or between the genitals and the “intimate parts.” Status is now included. of a sexual partner’.
Given that condoms help prevent sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy, it’s totally understandable that some people don’t want to have sex without a condom. That preference should be respected unless a person specifically agrees. Now, thanks to this new California law, it can be considered a crime to remove a condom during sex without verbal consent.
“We’ve made great strides in California, and I hope other state legislatures will follow suit,” Garcia wrote. twitter“But more importantly, I hope people will continue to build on this and continue the debate on the continuum of consent.”
the term stealth It became more widely known after a groundbreaking report was published in 2017 Columbia Journal of Gender and Law(In fact, Garcia specifically cited this report press release As a catalyst for this legislative action. To better reflect the viable causes of action and the harm caused by non-consensual condom removal.
From there, the conversation about stealth has gained more and more attention in recent years, especially after depictions of stealth acts and their impact have appeared in television series. I May Destroy YouThe cultural debate around stealth is also an important reminder that consent is not simply a binary decision to have sex or not, SELF has previously explained. or not), you are also stating certain boundaries around sex and certain activities that you are not comfortable with at the time (potentially including condom use).
California’s new stealth law also makes it clear that removing a condom without a sexual partner’s consent is a departure from the type of sex the partner consents to. and New Zealand), doing so has come to be legally considered a form of sexual assault.As Garcia points out, cultural and legal understandings of consent are constantly evolving. and other states may soon enact similar or related laws.
Related:
