California State Senator Introduces Bill that Decriminalizes Men Having Sex with Underage Boys

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California State Senator Scott Wiener (D) introduced a bill this week that would give judges more flexibility when sentencing gay adult men who have engaged in sexual contact with underage boys.

Under current law a straight 24-year-old male who has sex with a 15-year-old girl can avoid being placed on the sex-offender list if the judge feels the details of the case warrants it. A gay adult man with an underage boy would not have the same option.

Wiener, who is gay, calls that discrepancy “horrific homophobia.”

Wiener argues that if a minor age 14 to 17 voluntarily has sex with an adult who is less than 10 years older, the judge should have the discretion to decide whether the adult should be place on the sex-offender registry. Data provided by Wiener’s office states, “[A]t least 2,400 people on the [CA] sex-offender registry, and potentially hundreds more, have been convicted of non-vaginal sex with a minor age 14 or older.”

Wiener says he has been the victim of “homophobic, antisemitic attacks” because of his sponsorship of the bill.

Photo by Pax Ahimsa Gethen

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