But those opposing the bill argue that it legalizes pedophilia.
“If signed into law, a 24-year-old could have sexual relations with a 15-year-old child without being required to register as a sex offender,” State Senator Shannon Grove wrote in a tweet.
Others argue that Wiener’s approach to the bill does not achieve the “equality” he’s seeking but rather, provides offenders who have sex with a minor the opportunity to evade mandatory registration.
“Any sex is sex,” argued Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez. “I don’t care who it is between or what sex act it is. That being said, I cannot in my mind as a mother understand how sex between a 24-year-old and a 14-year-old could ever be consensual.”
