Illinois
Sex Laws 2026

Illinois' age of consent is 17. There is a close-in-age exemption: consensual sexual activity between a person who is at least 13 and a partner less than five years older is not criminal under the main statute. Illinois Compiled Statutes 720 ILCS 5/11-1.60 covers criminal sexual abuse.

Illinois requires comprehensive, medically accurate sex education that is inclusive of LGBTQ+ topics. The mandate is one of the stronger ones in the Midwest. Schools must cover contraception, STI prevention, healthy relationships, and consent. The state's sex ed requirements have been updated in recent years to more explicitly require LGBTQ+ inclusion. Abstinence may be discussed but cannot be the sole or primary frame for instruction.

Illinois' adult entertainment environment is among the most permissive in the Midwest. Chicago has a substantial adult entertainment industry, and the state regulates it through licensing without aggressive restriction campaigns. The Illinois Supreme Court has consistently upheld First Amendment protections for adult businesses and performances. Nudity in licensed establishments is permitted under defined conditions.

Illinois requires comprehensive, medically accurate, LGBTQ+ inclusive sex ed. One of the stronger mandates in the Midwest.

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