I am 17, live in Washington and I am romantically interested in a 19-year-old in California. Is a sexual relationship legal?
In Washington, the age of consent is 16. If you engaged in sexual activity in Washington, those acts would be legal. However, California’s laws may be very different, and what is legal in Washington could be illegal in California.
If you communicate in a sexually explicit fashion using the Internet or other means, you could be violating federal law. You are at some risk, but without further specific detail its difficult to assess the level of that risk. If you are in doubt, exercise caution. Don’t put yourself or your paramour in danger of being arrested and charged with a crime.
