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California colleges welcomed yesterday a new law requiring so-called affirmative consent for partners having sex on campus - dubbed a “Yes means Yes” law - in what is thought to be a national first. |
Under the law, signed into force late Sunday by Governor Jerry Brown, partners will have to give “affirmative, conscious, and voluntary agreement to engage in sexual activity” before they do so.
Affirmative consent cannot be given by someone who is asleep, unconscious, or if he or she is “incapacitated due to the influence of drugs, alcohol, or medication,” said the text of Bill 967, about sexual assaults on campus.
The University of California (UC) welcomed the new law, sponsored by state Senator Kevin de Leon.
“We have worked with and supported Senator De Leon on SB 967 and are pleased to see the bill become law in California,” UC spokeswoman Dianne Klein told AFP.
“The affirmative consent definition is one of many factors that is assessed when sexual violence is investigated and adjudicated on our campuses. But it is an extremely important one,” she added.
“The conversation on sexual assault on our college campuses turned an important corner today from chatter to action,” said De Leon.
“Students at every California college campus will have basic protections to promote prevention, accountability and healing,” he said, cited by the Los Angeles Times.
