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 offense.
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 colour, 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.
ALSO READ:
People found guilty of removing a condom without consent could be liable for general, special and punitive damages, the law states.