Rhode Island Legislature Votes To Repeal Sodomy Law
National Gay And Lesbian Task Force
Press Release
Contact: Betsy Gressler, Deputy Political Director, bgressler@ngltf.org
202/332-6483 x3306
800/757-6476 pager
2320 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
"Sodomy laws are the linchpin in attacks against the gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgendered community."
--- Kerry Lobel, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Washington, DC---June 2, 1998-The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
today celebrates a vote by the Rhode Island legislature to repeal that state's 102-year
old sodomy law. The repeal measure was approved today by the Senate and now moves to the
governor.
"Sodomy laws are the linchpin in attacks against the gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgendered community," said Kerry Lobel, executive director of the National Gay
and Lesbian Task Force. "They are used to criminalize our behavior and are the basis
for discrimination in employment, housing, health care and against families. We applaud
the legislature for its vote today and also salute the tireless work of Rhode Island
activists that made today's victory possible."
Called the "Abominable and Detestable Crime Against Nature Law," the statute
applies to both heterosexual and same-gender sexual activity and carries a sentence of
7-20 years. A strong coalition of Rhode Island groups have lobbied for several years to
repeal of the law, including the Rhode Island Alliance for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights.
The Alliance is the primary advocate for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Rhode
Islanders, celebrating 15 years of service to the community.
In 1986, the U.S. Supreme Court found no constitutional right to privacy for
same-gender conduct in Bowers v. Hardwick. The decision, however, permits each state to
decriminalize same-gender sexual relations. After the Rhode Island statute is repealed,
thirty-one states and the District of Columbia will have no laws forbidding same gender
sexual relations. Of the twenty states that will have sodomy laws in place, five state's
laws apply only to same-gender activity - Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and
Maryland. Fourteen other states have an opposite and same-gender sodomy law - Idaho, Utah,
Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North
Carolina, Virginia, Massachusetts, Michigan and Minnesota.
For more reaction from Rhode Island organizers to the legislature's vote, contact Kate
Monteiro of the Rhode Island of Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights at 401/863-1368.
To see a map of sodomy laws in the US, visit http://www.ngltf.org.
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_____________________________________________________________________
Founded in 1973, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force works to eliminate prejudice,
violence and injustice against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people at the
local, state and national level. As part of a broader social justice movement for freedom,
justice and equality, NGLTF is creating a world that respects and celebrates the diversity
of human expression and identity where all people may fully participate in society.
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