The state of California passed a bill Thursday that, if passed into law, would legally define consensual sexual activity on college campuses for the first time.
"The bill defines consent to sex as the presence of a “yes” rather than the absence of a “no,” a cultural shift that victim’s groups have long advocated," TIME's Eliza Gray wrote yesterday. Gray noted that the bill requires colleges to use its definition at orientation sessions and when investigating claims of sexual assault.
"Affirmative consent" policies are not altogether new. The University of California system has already implemented that standard, but the bill – which will next head to the governor's desk – marks the first time a state is pushing for the policy.
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