A new state bill in California that seeks to change the way some convicted criminals are put on the sex offender registry list is sparking controversy, with some Republicans in the Golden State claiming it would shield sexual predators. Other forms of sex automatically require someone to register as a sex offender. The California lawmaker's office said that the law would result in the equal treatment of straight and LGBT young people and end the discrimination against young LGBT people engaged in consensual sexual activity. "The judge would have discretion in these cases as to whether or not to place someone on the sex offender registry," Victor Ruiz-Cornejo, Wiener's communication's director, said in an email to Fox News. "While it is most often LGBT young people that are impacted, the bill itself brings parity to the way we treat sexual acts."

Source: Fox News February 26, 2019 22:53 UTC