Last edited: February 14, 2005

 

Bill That Keeps Classification of Gays as Sex Offenders Clears Louisiana Senate

Southern Voice, April 12, 2001
Atlanta, GA

New Orleans News

BATON ROUGE — Amid criticism from lobbyists, state Sen. Arthur J. Lentini’s (R-Metarie) Senate Bill 41 sailed unanimously through the Senate last week.

The bill requires sex offenders, including rapists and pedophiles as well as gay men and lesbians caught having consensual sex, to register with their local police departments. Sex offenders already must register with their local sheriff.

Critics said the additional registration isn’t necessary, as the two enforcement agencies could share the data. The state Supreme Court had already admonished the system, which also requires offenders to mail letters to their neighbors, as too financially burdensome on some convicts.

"They are making gay sex between adults a sex crime under at least 10 statutes," said John Rawls, a gay New Orleans civil rights attorney.

The measure passed unanimously a week after getting the okay from the Senate Judiciary Committee A. The bill now moves to the House.

"This is a good bill and other Senators see its value," Lentini said. As long as sodomy — considered a "crime against nature" — is part of the state’s criminal statutes, same-sex couples who engage in consensual sex are potential targets of the law and subject to classification as sex offenders. Lentini has said that he is not trying to discriminate against "that lifestyle per se," but that "as long as the law includes [gays], they would have to comply, yes."


Commentary:

I find this report puzzling. Apparently offenders convicted under the Louisiana sodomy law are to be required to report under this version of Megan's law. 

But the Louisiana sodomy law, recently upheld by their state supreme court, is NOT one of the gay-only sodomy laws, but applies equally to heterosexual sodomy.

Therefore whence comes this almost obsessive involvement with gay sex "offenders" which pervades this article, and why is nothing said about the hordes of heterosexual sodomy-law violators — virtually the entire adult population of the state — who, potentially will have to report also?

Strange!

— Frank Kameny


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