| June
27: The Court struck down a Texas state law banning private consensual sex
between adults of the same sex in a decision gay rights groups have called
historic. The 6-3 decision reverses a ruling from 17 years ago
wherein states could punish homosexuals for what has been historically called
deviant sex in court cases. Legal analysts said the ruling protects a broad
constitutional right to sexual privacy for the first time. Presently there
are 13 states with similar sodomy laws applied against the gay and lesbian
community, including Oklahoma. On the same day, a Gallup poll showed that
the Court decision is generally in line with the attitudes of the majority
of Americans. Almost 6 out of 10 Americans believe that homosexual relations
between consenting adults should be legal, which is essentially what the
Court decided in the Lawrence vs. Texas case. The precise numbers are 59%
in favor of legalized homosexual relations between consenting adults and
37% opposed. |
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