California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law a bill on Thursday that prohibits “stealthing,” or removing a condom during sex without consent, making it a civil sexual battery offence.
It is the first anti-stealthing law in the country, the
Sacramento Bee reported. The bill passed the Senate and the Assembly a month
ago without opposition, Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia, the bill’s sponsor, said
in a statement.
“I have
been working on the issue of ‘stealthing’ since 2017 and I am elated that there
is now some accountability for those who perpetrate the act. Sexual assaults,
especially those on women of color, are perpetually swept under the rug,”
Garcia said in a statement when the bill passed.
Garcia cited a study by Yale University that called stealthing
“a grave violation of dignity and autonomy” and said cases affecting women and
gay men were on the rise, reports Reuters.
People found guilty of removing a condom without consent could
be liable for general, special and punitive damages, the law states.
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