California just became the first state in the U.S. to outlaw “stealthing,” a slang term for the nonconsensual removal of a condom during sex.
The law, AB 453, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday, makes it a civil offense under state law for someone to remove a condom without their sexual partner’s consent.
“For a majority of the people, it’s like, yeah, it makes sense that this is immoral and it should be illegal,” State Assemblymember Cristina Garcia (D-Downey), who sponsored the legislation, told NPR.
“A lot of people told me, ‘I can’t believe it’s not already illegal,'” she added.
The California state Legislature had approved the measure without opposition.
Stealthing was a little-known phenomenon, but that’s changing.