Legislation aimed at increasing penalties for those who solicit, agree to engage in, or engage in any act of commercial sex with a minor is facing opposition from a group of activists. These activists argue that the bill disproportionately harms minorities and the LGBTQ community and that it has been weakened from its original form.
The legislation, known as SB 1414, seeks to make it a felony to purchase or solicit children for sex. However, during public testimony, activists claimed that the bill “takes an overly punitive approach that fails to address the root causes of these issues and will not effectively stop sexual violence.”
“We are particularly concerned that the harsher penalties proposed in this bill will disproportionately impact marginalized communities, especially members of the LGBTQ community who already suffer from systematic biases within the criminal justice system, particularly when it comes to sexually based offenses,” the activists stated.
The testimony highlighted that LGBTQ individuals are “more likely to be charged with sex offenses compared to their heterosexual counterparts,” and that measures like SB 1414 “lead to higher rates of incarceration, longer sentences, and increased difficulties in finding housing and employment.”
One activist expressed opposition to “any punitive measure that perpetuates systemic injustices” and advocated for California to invest in “community-based solutions.” Another activist voiced concerns about the bill’s impact on “black and brown individuals.”
Despite the opposition, Senate Bill 1414 passed a vote in the Public Safety Committee last week. State Sen. Shannon Grove originally proposed making it a felony to solicit teenagers 17 and younger, but the committee initially watered down the bill to exclude those aged 16 and 17.
The committee later revised the bill to include 16- and 17-year-olds, but with the stipulation that prosecutors must prove these teenagers were not only solicited for sex but also victims of sex trafficking.
Grove told KCRA 3 that the inclusion of 16- and 17-year-olds in the bill was merely political showmanship. “I think Kevin McCarty is looking for a way to put 16- and 17-year-olds back in the bill and say he was successful, but he only damaged them further,” she said. The final form of the bill remains to be determined.