In September, California State passed a bill to improve legislation dealing with on-campus sexual assault. Dubbed the ‘Yes means yes’ law (referencing the more familiar phrase ‘No means no’), it changes the meaning of consent to a voluntary and conscious agreement. This means that anyone intoxicated or unconscious cannot grant consent, thus turning any following sexual activity into rape. The new law has received the support of campus victims of sexual assault and advocacy groups.
After weeks of protests, Guatemalans have made the government repeal a ‘Monsanto law’ that it had approved in June. The law would have allowed Monsanto’s genetically modified seeds to be used by a handful of big agro-companies, endangering local producers and staple crops of corn and black beans. In Guatemala, 70 per cent of the population has ties to small farming.
