Maybe not most states
Submitted by A.I. Watcher on September 9 2001 20:07:30
In reply to I'm just beginning to realise... submitted by Jules on September 9 2001 15:59:55
|
Actually, Jules, while anti-sodomy laws exist on the books of most states, they are rarely enforced, though enforcement or lack of it is left up to the discretion of elected presecutors. Some states WILL enforce their sodomy laws, however. In Georgia, it is illegal to have sex with anyone other than one's lawfully wedded spouse. (I wonder where that law came from? Sarcasm intended.) A few years ago, police responded to what turned out to be a faked telephone report of a robbery in progress. The entered a house in the suburbs, walked into the master bedroom and encountered two men ingaged in anal intercourse. The men were arrested, jailed, tried and convicted of sodomy and were handed short jail sentences. The case made its way eventually to the U.S. Supreme Court which ruled that the men had been lawfully convicted and that their sentences were legal and would not be overturned. These men are now convicted felons and have been deprived of the right to vote or run for political office. (Note that not all states deprive felons of these privileges. Georgia happens to do so.) In many of the states where sodomy is illegal, gay men are afraid of the police and feel unable to turn to them for protection, even though they are often in dire need of it. By way of illustration, two Canadian youths of 19 and 20 were recently beaten by police in New Orleans because they didn't understand that being gay was a crime in that place. They had the "audacity" to report harrassment by some local youths. The police beat up the young queers rather than stop the locals from picking on them. Why aren't the sodomy laws struck down? Because Christians always organize against efforts to strike them down and enormous numbers of Chrisitan voters weild their political power to oppress us queers. Why? Why can't Christians practice their religion in peace and leave the rest of us alone? Why are they intent on forcing us to follow their religion? There must be a reason but I can't even begin to think of one. |
Follow ups: