Don’t Criminalize Healthy Behaviors
Rape is inexcusable and deserves to be discussed seriously, but the current nationwide push for "yes means yes" laws is likely to cause more harm than good. In brief, a "yes means yes" law puts into state statutes a legally binding requirement that all parties involved in a sexual encounter demonstrate an "unambiguous, affirmative, and conscious decision" to engage in voluntary sexual relations, to quote California's legislation, which passed last year. In practice, this means getting verbal consent - an explicit "yes" - at every progressive step in a sexual act. While this would appear to be a reasonable approach, it is both unreasonable and unworkable.
・ From Philly.com