PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

CALL TO ACTION: Sodomy Laws, the Supreme Court and Santorum
by David Meieran Friday, Jun. 13, 2003 at 2:15 PM
dmeieran@123mail.org 412-421-7716

Pittsburgh to join 17 cities in a national day of protest around historic Supreme Court sodomy ruling

CALL TO ACTION

THE MOST IMPORTANT LGBT CASE IN A GENERATION

WHAT: National day of protest in response to historic U.S. Supreme Court ruling on sodomy law.

WHEN: EITHER 5:00pm, Monday, June 16 OR Monday, June 23 -- the day the U.S. Supreme Court hands down its ruling.

WHERE: Sentator Santorum's office at 1 Station Square...if the Court votes "no" we will then snake march to the U.S. District Court building at Liberty & Grant. As of June 13, 2003, at least 17 cities are participating in the action.

WHO: The Pittsburgh protest is being called by RESYST and the Rosenberg Institute for Peace and Justice.

WHY: In 1986 a Georgia sodomy law was challenged all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court in Bowers v. Hardwick. The Court ruled 5-4 against Hardwick, a major milestone in history of queer liberation. Ever since that case, courts and legislators have used the excuse of the Hardwick decision to take children away from same-sex couples, to deny equal access to jobs, housing, public accommodations and more.

Now, 17 years later, the Supreme Court has a chance to revisit the Hardwick decision in Lawrence v. Texas. The plaintiffs contend that the sodomy law should be struck down not only on privacy grounds, but also because it violates the Equal Protection Clause by permitting sexual intimacy only for heterosexual couples and therefore turns queers into a sexless second class with less rights than other citizens. Texas' District Attorney argues that the law is aimed at protecting marriage, family, and children asserts the state's right to regulate any and all sexual practices, even those taking place behind closed doors and among consenting adults.

Texas is one of 13 remaining states that still have sodomy laws on the books; in the past 30 years, many states' sodomy laws were either repealed by state legislation or else invalidated by state courts. Pennsylvania's sodomy law was struck down by the PA State Supreme Court in Commonwealth v. Bonadio, 415 A.2d 47 (1980).

Recall that earlier this year PA Sentator Santorum defended the Texas sodomy law and argued that homosexual consensual sex "undermine[s] the fabric of our society." Whether or not the Supreme Court rules in favor of Lawrence, it is important to continue to pressure Santorum and those who would use their private morality to enforce sodomy laws and institutionalized discrimination.

This historic case will affect the rights and lives of LGBT people for years to come. The Supreme Court is expected to announce its decision on either Monday, June 16 or Monday, June 23. Their ruling can go either way.

See http://www.thomasmertoncenter.org/resyst/sodomy/ for more info.

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