Butt Grabbing Could Soon be Illegal in Minnesota

My first thought: Why in the world was this ever legal?! According to gomn.com, it all depends on the situation. A butt grab COULD be considered assault or disorderly conduct, but NOT a sex offense. "It was excluded from the law designating what constitutes 5th degree criminal sexual conduct when it came into law in 1988."

The tweak to existing state laws went before the Minnesota House public safety committee on Wednesday, which approved it and sent it to the House floor.

If the law is passed, it would make grabbing clothed buttocks in an aggressive or sexual manner the same level of crime as groping other private parts, trying to pull off someone's underwear, or exposing yourself in front of a child under 16. Meaning a max penalty of a year in prison and a $3,000 fine for a first offense.

Here's a kicker for you! In an interview with the Pioneer Press, two lawmakers who originally sponsored the 1988 law said "the only explanation they can find was the notion that football coaches could somehow be implicated by giving players encouraging pats on the behind. Some prosecutors refer to it as the 'coach’s exception'...

Another one of those things I don't understand. When did it become a "thing" to smack someone's butt as "encouragement?" Why not the back or the arm? I would rather no one touch my butt, with the exception of my husband (obviously).