California Becomes First State to Prohibit “Stealthing”
The new law makes the act of removing a condom without permission during intercourse illegal and opens perpetrators up to potential lawsuits for damages.
Landwebs
California became the first state to prohibit “stealthing,” or removing a condom without permission during intercourse, the new measure amending the state’s civil code, adding the act to the state’s civil definition of sexual battery, reports the Associated Press. That makes it clear that victims can sue perpetrators for damages, including punitive damages and it makes it illegal to remove condoms without obtaining verbal consent. Democratic Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia originally tried to make it a crime in 2017 after a Yale University study that year said acts of stealthing were increasing against both women and gay men. The Erotic Service Providers Legal Educational Research Project supported the bill, saying it could allow sex workers to sue clients who remove condoms.
