LGBT News VA "High School Sodomy" Law Targets Gay Teenagers

It doesn't shock me. The Republican's in Virginia have had a moral panic attack since Lawrence v Texas. They desperately want to make being gay a crime. So much so, in fact, that they are still refusing to remove the Sodomy laws from the books despite the fact the Supreme Court has declared them unconstitutional.

Really, the point is that they know anyone who is arrested for sodomy in Virginia won't go to jail. It's an effort to intimidate gay people by basically saying: we can't imprison you, but we can still harass you.

 

I am just going to make the obvious remark of the irony of locking someone up with a load of other men for being gay.

Seriously though this won't go anywhere, its like these sheriffs that tried to arrest gay people under an illegal archaic law. They got sued like crazy. We have similar people in the UK who claim that law that Alan Turing was prosecuted under should be reinstated and gay people should face prison or castration.

 

Virginia: trying to control your sex lives with unconstitutional laws since 2003. Because oral/anal sex is icky!

Whoa, didn't know this. Unfortunately, the House will kill all of them. I think it's more likely marriage equality will happen here through the two lawsuits.

 

Actually reading the article, it seems that the law staying on the books despite unconstitutional, means that a 18 year old just *asking* a 17 year old for gay sex is still a felony in that state. Because lawrence v texas only applies to adult sex, i'm sure that some number of young adults are discriminated against and tried as felons still.

 

Also, relevant quote from a ThinkProgress article:

Man, that anal and oral...lemme tell ya, that's clearly the number one problem in Virginia. Oh yeah...

 

I'm so happy the Republicans lost all the statewide races: Governor, Lt. Governor, and Attorney General. Good riddance to a bunch of fucked up idiots. During their time in office, I made a point never to even set foot in the state, nor to spend a dime there, lest my money support these antics. Soon, I'll feel OK crossing the Potomac!

Of course, I'm being tongue in cheek here...lots of nice folks in Virginia, and I love old-town Alexandria, and the Shenandoah mountains. Very pretty state, it is.

 

Dang it, I need to move....or graduate before it passes :dry:

 

What always boggles me about these laws is don't they know how straight people have oral and anal sex?

 

Erm, didn't SCOTUS rule on a case a while back that a state can't enforce what people can or can't do in the bedroom?

 

Yeah, but when it comes to minors it is different.

 

I'm not sure that's this has been established yet. I think there are cases working their way though the system regarding the issue now, though I'm not sure. In any event. I don't see any real legal precedent for it; after all, it takes the kinds of sex gay teens would be more likely to have, and treats it differently than the more traditional intercourse other teens might have...such that it would seem to have already been addressed by SCOTUS. I doubt the law will pass constitutional muster.

 

Time to take back the U.S. Congress and increase the Democrats presence in the Senate. With a full party majority in all branches, things should move a little smoother.

 

This guy is running out of time...a Democrat takes over as Virginia's Governor tomorrow.

Something tells me they've run out of time, here.

 

I thought it targets straight people too, because you know, high schoolers just love to "fuck around" literally and figuratively

Is it too early to dream a US government filled with independence?

 

I have one thing to say to that: Lawrence V. Texas.

 

The discriminatory age of consent laws have been successfully challenged in some areas. In kansas, an 18 year old was sentenced to *17 years* for giving a 16 year old a blowjob. If it was a hetero kid, it would have been *1 year* After 4 years in prison, the kansas supreme court struck down the law as unconstitutional under lawrence.

Of course, most of europe made its consent laws equal long ago, so it's yet area this country is way behind on.

 

Wow their giving Africa and Russia a run for their money in most Homophobic places to live / or more like most messed up places to live .

 

I've been all over Virginia and it is a unique place because it is sandwiched between the very liberal Maryland and the very conservative North Carolina to the south. So, I imagine there are a lot of cultural differences which are prompting these extreme measures to come up. It's really odd how fixated certain Virginia officials are on "Sodomy." I think they don't realize how many liberal pockets they have within the state, or they do realize and this is their attempt to criminalize certain acts and people lest same sex marriage become legal there...but I am sure it's only a matter of time.

 

If this bill had passed not only would it have been discriminating against gay people, but man oh man would the teenage pregnancy rates have skyrocketed. I wonder if they ever took that into consideration.