Last edited: February 22, 2005
Gay Activists Hail Supreme Court痴 Sodomy RulingDaily Oklahoman , June 26, 2003
P. O. Box 25125, Oklahoma City, OK 73125
Fax: 405-475-3971
Email: yourviews@oklahoman.comBy The Associated Press/Daily Oklahoman
The U.S. Supreme Court痴 decision striking down a ban on gay sex will reduce discrimination against same-sex couples but will not stop prejudice against homosexuals, Oklahoma gay activists said Thursday.
撤rejudice is almost impossible to eliminate,? said Bill Rogers, past president of the Cimarron Alliance, a gay and lesbian group based in Oklahoma City.
Gay rights groups praised the high court痴 ruling that struck down an anti-sodomy law in Texas that banned oral and anal sex between same-sex couples. Oklahoma is among 12 other states that have similar laws.
的t ushers in a whole new era of tolerance and acceptance,? said Keith Smith, co-chairman of the Stonewall Democrats of Central Oklahoma, the gay and lesbian caucus of the Democratic Party.
The decision was criticized by state Rep. Bill Graves, R-Oklahoma City, a gay rights opponent who said the ruling 杜akes a mockery of morality and constitutional law.?
U.S. Rep. John Sullivan, R-Okla., said he disagrees with the decision and believes states and local communities should be able to choose their own standards.
撤ublic health and morality have a place in our society,? Sullivan said.
Graves said Oklahoma痴 anti-sodomy law refers to the practice as 鍍he detestable and abominable crime against nature.?
典he decision elevates sodomy, which has always been viewed as a sexual perversion, to the status of a constitutional right,? Graves said. In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of two men arrested after police walked in on them having sex.
Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote that the men 殿re entitled to respect for their private lives.?
典he state cannot demean their existence or control their destiny by making their private sexual conduct a crime,? Kennedy wrote.
典his is a wonderful decision that could open up a lot of doors,? said Joann Bell, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma.
Bell said the high court痴 ruling on a sodomy law in Texas found that such statutes are an unconstitutional violation of privacy.
展hat people do in privacy is worthy of the greatest constitutional protection,? said attorney Rex Friend.
Rogers said anti-sodomy laws have been used in the past to justify entrapment of gays by law enforcement authorities and lack of protection from hate crimes.
鄭ll Americans have to be treated equally,? Rogers said. 展e池e all entitled to equal treatment under the law.?
典his is a monumental decision,? Smith said. 的t痴 a great day to be an American. It痴 an even better day to be a gay American.?
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