Age of Consent
Sex Education Required by State
Sex Education Type
Medically Accurate Content Required
LGBTQ+ Inclusive
Consent Education Taught
Adult Entertainment
Kansas' age of consent is 16. There is a close-in-age exemption for minors aged 14 and 15: sexual activity with a partner less than four years older is a misdemeanor rather than a felony. Kansas Statutes Section 21-5506 governs indecent liberties with a child.
Kansas has no statewide sex education mandate. When districts offer sex ed, it tends to be abstinence-focused, reflecting the state's conservative political composition. There is no requirement for medical accuracy, no LGBTQ+ inclusion requirement, and no consent education standard. A sodomy law remains codified in Kansas statutes despite being unenforceable following Lawrence v. Texas (2003), the U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down such laws nationally.
Kansas' adult entertainment environment is restrictive. Cities like Wichita and Kansas City have regulated adult businesses through licensing and zoning, and the political environment has generally supported restriction rather than permissiveness. The state has a history of high-profile obscenity prosecutions. The continued presence of the sodomy statute on the books, though legally void, reflects the legislative posture toward sexual regulation broadly.
No mandate. Abstinence-focused when offered. Sodomy law still on books (unenforceable post-Lawrence).
Similar States
More on Kansas
Discussions
- It breaks my heart that age of consent is 16 in most US states
- Kansas getting ready to opt out of sex education: "I don't ...
- What's up with people saying the age of consent should be ...
- Age of consent needs to change : r/offmychest
- [deleted by user] : r/AskAnAmerican
- Both Democrat and Republican voters strongly support sex ...
- Age of consent by state : r/MapPorn
- Students submit petition to raise age of consent from 13 to 16
- TIL that the age of consent in Japan is 13 : r/todayilearned
- In 1880, the average ages of consent in the US were set at ...
In the News
- Kansas Senate embraces bill to compel age-verification, parental consent on app downloads - kake.comJul 30
- Work release, school property ban for Kansas sex offenders clears Senate; House rejects it - newsfromthestates.comMar 26
- Senate embraces, House blocks bill on age-verification, parental consent for app downloads - Kansas ReflectorMar 25
- Reproductive and LGBTQ+ Rights Organizations to Hold Kansans for Bodily Autonomy Advocacy Day at Capitol - ACLU of KansasMar 3
- Midyear 2024 State Policy Trends: Many US States Attack Reproductive Health Care, as Other States Fight Back - Guttmacher InstituteJun 18
Full Kansas profile
Taxes, gun laws, gambling, nudism, nightlife and more.
Sources: NCSL, Guttmacher Institute, SIECUS State Profiles, Wikipedia "Ages of consent in the United States". Laws change — verify current status with official sources.