Last edited: December 31, 2004

Arkansas Sodomy Law Challenged

GLAADLINES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 2, 1998

News and Breaking Stories about the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community

contact: Don Romesberg
(415) 861-2244

Local Little Rock, Arkansas, organizations joined with the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund (LLDEF) on January 28 to announce a lawsuit on behalf of seven lesbians and gay men against the state's sodomy ban. Currently, the statute makes certain sexual behaviors, including oral sex between two same-sex consenting adults a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. LLDEF is seeking that the law be declared unconstitutional, with the plaintiffs arguing that the statute violates their rights of equal treatment and privacy. "This law creates a second-class status for lesbians and gay men, criminalizing intimate, sexual behavior that is perfectly legal for non-gay people," said LLDEF Staff Attorney Suzanne B. Goldberg. Arkansas is one of six states that single out only same-sex sexual relations for criminalization. For more information contact Peg Byron (LLDEF) at (212) 809-8585, ext. 230.

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