Sodomy Laws

Sodomy laws are statutes that criminalize specific sexual acts, most commonly anal and oral sex. Although often written to cover everyone, they were enforced mainly against gay and bisexual men and served as tools of arrest, surveillance, and social exclusion. In the United States, the Supreme Court invalidated all remaining sodomy laws in its 2003 ruling Lawrence v. Texas, a 6 to 3 decision that found such laws an unconstitutional violation of the right to privacy and personal liberty. At the time, sodomy laws were still on the books in 13 states. Globally, dozens of countries retain these laws, and in some places they carry penalties as severe as imprisonment or death for LGBTQ+ people.