Hochul signs Rape is Rape Act, expanding rape legal definition

NEW YORK — A new law designed to increase protections for victims of sexual assault in New York by redefining rape in the state’s penal code is set to take effect in September.

The Rape is Rape Act, which was signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Kathy Hochul, updates the legal definition of rape to include other forms of forced sexual conduct.

Under current law, rape is defined as vaginal penetration by a penis. The new law — a version of which has been in the works for over a decade — redefines rape to include nonconsensual vaginal, oral and sexual conduct.