Legal Question in Criminal Law in California

is it legal to subscribe to fetish personals in California? By fetish personals, I mean online communities where people can arrange casual encounters involving a given fetish. The last thing I want to do is do anything illegal or harmful, so I want to ensure the safety of such action. Besides, I also want to point out that my fetish is so tame that it's often seen in movies that have ratings below PG-13, and of course, if you were to witness such an act, you wouldn't think anything of it.

Any advice on how to approach this legally would be greatly appreciated.


Asked on 3/22/13, 12:51 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Edward Hoffman Law Offices of Edward A. Hoffman

You may do all these things legally as long as you're at least 18 and don't try to hook up with anyone under 18.

There is nothing inherently illegal about indulging a fetish. But some fetishes do involve illegal activities. So if your fetish involves, say, using drugs, harming third persons, or performing other criminal acts, you could be prosecuted for that activity. And depending on how you answer an ad seeking a partner for a criminal act, your email could get you into trouble. Other than that, reading and answering the personal ads shouldn't pose any legal problems.

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Answered on 3/22/13, 2:13 pm


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