Name: Newsom signs bill to fix sex offender registry law that penalized gay people
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Newsom signs bill to fix sex offender registry law that penalized gay people

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SACRAMENTO — California will no longer require young adults to register as sex offenders for having anal or oral sex with a minor, eliminating a disparity in the state’s statutory rape laws that critics said unfairly targeted gay people.Gov. Gavin Newsom signed without comment on Friday, giving judges discretion over sex-offender registration in cases involving a teenager ages 14 to 17 and an adult who is less than 10 years older. It takes effect on Jan. 1.Current law allows a judge to decide whether to place a man who has vaginal intercourse with an underage teenage girl on the sex offender registry based on the facts of the case. But if anal or oral sex, or vaginal penetration with anything other than a penis, is involved, the adult is automatically registered as a sex offender — a until 1975, even between consenting adults.The California Supreme Court upheld the legal difference in 2015, arguing that because vaginal intercourse can lead to pregnancy, forcing a father to register as a sex offender would subject him to social stigmatization that could make it difficult to find a job and support his child.Under SB145 all sex acts would be treated the same. Though minors cannot legally consent, the law is meant to prevent sex-offender registration for voluntary relationships in which there is only a small age difference involved. LGBTQ rights groups warn that young people are vulnerable to unfair punishment for gay and lesbian relationships, especially when their families do not approve.Related Stories“I am so grateful that Governor Newsom — one of the LGBTQ community’s strongest allies ever — once again has shown that he’s willing to support our community even when it’s hard,” state Sen. Scott Wiener, the San Francisco Democrat who carried the bill, said in a statement. “And make no mistake: the politics here are hard, with the massive Trump, QAnon, and MAGA misinformation campaign against the legislation.”About Our NewsroomThe bill generated national controversy in recent weeks, with the president’s son, Donald Trump, Jr., and other prominent Republican politicians warning their followers that California Democrats were pandering to pedophiles. Wiener reported received from conspiracy theorists online.Despite claims by some opponents, the law does not legalize pedophilia, nor does it cover forcible sex. It is supported by organizations representing district attorneys and police chiefs as a way to keep people convicted of less-serious crimes off the sex offender database. Many law enforcement agencies say that, with about 100,000 registers offenders, the list has become too large to fulfill its purpose of tracking potential predators.Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: Twitter:About Our Newsroom

SACRAMENTO — California will no longer require young adults to register as sex offenders for having anal or oral sex with a minor, eliminating a disparity in the state’s statutory rape laws that critics said unfairly targeted gay people.Gov. Gavin Newsom signed without comment on Friday, giving judges discretion over sex-offender registration in cases involving a teenager ages 14 to 17 and an adult who is less than 10 years older. It takes effect on Jan. 1.Current law allows a judge to decide whether to place a man who has vaginal intercourse with an underage teenage girl on the sex...

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Alexei Koseff

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Newsom signs bill to fix sex offender registry law that penalized gay people

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