Age of Consent, depends on what State you live in. It's U.S. Federal Law that has jurisdiction here only because it's the Internet and communication goes across state lines. So, in what State is this site hosted?
Ages of consent are very different depending on your
State.
Age of Consent Alabama = 16
Alaska = 16
Arizona = 18
Arkansas = 16 with some defense up to 14. Details : The age is minimum 16 for a minor (<18) with a major more than 20 years old. Under 18, the younger must not be less than 14, or if so, there is a defense if the minor is not more 4 years younger if above 12, not more 3 years younger if under 12. Sexual intercourse of a major and a minor under 14 is a rape.
California = 18, with a misdemeanor if the minor has less than 3 years of difference with the major. Penalties increase if the minor is under 14 and the major is above 21.
Colorado = 17
Connecticut = 16 for sexual encounter (and
15 for sexual contact).
Delaware = 16, although it is illegal for a person under the age of 18 to have intercourse with another who is at or above the age of 30.
District of Columbia = 16
Florida = 16/18, close in age exemptions exist. By law, the exception permits an adult under the age of 24 to engage in legal sexual activity with a minor no younger than the age of 16.
Georgia = 16
Hawaii = 16, It is illegal for minors age
14 and
15 to have consensual sex with adults
at least five years older, this law does not apply to married couples.
Idaho = 18
Illinois = 17
Indiana = 16
Iowa = 16, But sexual acts involving a
14 or
15 are permissible so long as the older person is not more than four years older than the younger, the older is not related to or living with the younger, and the older is not in authority.
Kansas = 16
Kentucky = 16
Louisiana = 17
Maine = 16
Maryland = 16
Massachusetts = 16, If a minor 16 or 17 years of age is a virgin, sex is illegal (Chapter 272: Section 4. Inducing person under 18 to have sexual intercourse).
Michigan = 16
Minnesota = 16
Mississippi = 16
Missouri = 17
Montana = 16, The homosexual age of sexual consent is higher at 18.
Nebraska = 17
Nevada = 16, The homosexual age of sexual consent is higher at 18.
New Hampshire = 16, However a close in age exception exists where a person may "engage in sexual penetration" with a person
13 years old or older and younger than 16 if their age difference is less than 3 years.
New Jersey = 16
New Mexico = 17, The age of sexual consent for homosexuals may be lower at
13? New York = 17
North Carolina = 16
North Dakota = 16
Ohio = 16
Oklahoma = 16
Oregon = 18
Pennsylvania =
13 / 16, The age of consent is
13 years of age when the oldest person (both must be over
13) is less than four years older than the complainant. for example... 13/(17 - 1 day) 14/ (18 - 1 day) 15/ (19- 1 day). The age of consent is 16 years of age in all other cases.
Rhode Island = 16
South Dakota = 16
South Carolina = 16, People 18 or younger can have consensual sex with someone as young as
14.
Tennessee = 18
Texas = 17
Utah = 18
Vermont = 16
Virginia = 18
, with an ostensible close in age exception of 15 for those under 18.
Washington = 18
West Virginia = 16 The age of sexual consent for homosexuals may be higher at 18? It was...
Wisconsin = 18
Wyoming = 18
31 out of 50 States agree that the age of consent should be 16.
10 out of 50 States have the highest age of consent set at 18.
Montana, Nevada, and New Mexico have different ages of consent for homosexuals. Montana and Nevada increase the age of consent for homosexuals by 2 years over homosexuals setting the homosexual age of consent at 18. New Mexico, astonishingly may be very different having an age of consent for homosexual sex that is 4 years younger than heterosexual sex setting the age of consent for homosexual sex at 13.
Incidentally, the lowest possible age of consent in the US is New Mexico's 13 and in some other states who use 13 as the age of consent in certain circumstances.
The above might be a surprise to people who aren't US citizens because I think most of the world thinks that we are more uniform in our laws. Actually, we aren't. States have a lot more power to change things than one would think. In fact each State has it's own driving laws. There are no uniform driving laws in the USA. You get your drivers license from your State which tests you on their laws. We do not have national driving laws like other countries...
Also, our capital, Washington, D.C. is not a State or in a State. Washington is a city in the District of Columbia. Laws and rights of the residents of the District of Columbia are very different than for the rest of us who live in States.
