On Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation changing the state's sex offender law to allow judges to have a say on whether to list someone as a sex offender for having oral or anal sex with a minor.
The bill was passed and expands the discretion in rape cases as it was promoted to bring fairness under the law to LGBTQ defendants. The new bill was introduced by the state Sen. Scott Winder, a San Franciso Democrat who highly supports the LGBTQ. The new California sex offender law allows intercourse with someone 14 to 17 years old and no more than 10 years older than the person.
"The measurement won't apply when a minor is under 14, when the age gap is larger than 10 years, or when wither party says the sex wasn't consensual."
Assemblywoman, Lorena Gonzalez stated, "I cannot in my mind as a mother understand how sex between a 24-year old and a 14-year-old could ever be consensual, how it could ever not be a registrable offense." "We should never give up on this idea that children should be in no way subject to a predator."
