NY: New York forces gay man to register as sex offender

Source: darik.news 1/26/23 A gay man with HIV is appealing a court decision requiring him to register as a “sex offender” in order to prosecute under a 1987 Louisiana law that effectively criminalizes anyone with HIV One who has sex. In 2009, Robert Suttle, a gay black man who was working as an assistant court clerk, was accused by a former lover of not disclosing his HIV status before consensual sex. As a result, Suttle found himself charged under Louisiana’s “intentional exposure to the AIDS virus” law—adopted at the height…

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AZ: Proposal to increase felony charges for sex offenders could criminalize teen relationships

Source: azmirror.com 1/27/23 A proposal to increase the punishments for sexual offenders could put teenagers in prison.  State law punishes sexual conduct with a minor who is at least 15 with a class 6 felony — the least serious felony type, which can potentially be moved down to a misdemeanor. House Bill 2169 seeks to rectify that by changing the classification to a class 4 felony, for which the standard penalty is 2.5 years in prison, and mandating one year of jail time if the offender was placed on probation. …

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FL: DeSantis proposes death penalty for certain sex crimes, increased punishment for fentanyl

Source: tampabay.com 1/26/23 Gov. Ron DeSantis unveiled a tough-on-crime agenda ahead of the upcoming legislative session, including proposals to expand the death penalty to certain types of sex crimes and mandating life sentences for people convicted of selling fentanyl that looks like candy to children. “We want to make sure that we cement our reputation as being a law-and-order state and take actions as necessary to help further protect the people of the state of Florida,” he said during a news conference Thursday at the Miami Police Benevolent Association hall.…

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