New York’s Sexual Assault Law Excludes the Intoxicated. This Bill Aims to Fix It.

New York’s Sexual Assault Law Excludes the Intoxicated. This Bill Aims to Fix It.

State Senate Bill A101 bans using a survivor’s inebriation as a defense in sex crime cases.

New York’s Sexual Assault Law Excludes the Intoxicated. This Bill Aims to Fix It. - Finnoexpert

After surviving rape twice, calling 911 for help wasn’t Akia Nyrie Smith’s first instinct. As a Black nonbinary person, they knew all too well how law enforcement might respond, especially when alcohol was involved, as it had been both nights in Michigan. When Smith moved to New York in 2020, in the depths of the pandemic, they never imagined experiencing a third assault. But that was their breaking point. “When it happened in New York, I felt s…