Illinois
Sex Laws 2026

The age of consent in Illinois is 17 as of May 2026, the same as in 8 other states. Illinois requires schools to teach sex education, one of 28 states that do, and the mandated approach is comprehensive, with a medical-accuracy requirement and LGBTQ+ inclusive content. Adult entertainment regulation is liberal, and the state scores 100/100 on this page's sex-ed progressiveness scale.

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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More on Illinois

Also on Illinois: the full Illinois profile covers taxes, cost of living, crime and schools, and the county map lets you compare every county in the state. For related rules, read the Illinois nudism guide and the Illinois gambling laws guide.