Decriminalization of Private Sexual Behavior

The United States had a long history of laws declaring sodomy illegal. Sodomy was legally defined as oral and/or anal sex between adults of any sexual orientation, but these laws were selectively enforced against homosexual individuals and couples. In 2003 the U. S. Supreme Court, basing its decision on the constitutional right to privacy, overturned a Texas sodomy law that made private same-sex sexual contact illegal. The Lawrence et al. v. Texas ruling also overturned laws in four other states that banned same-sex sex and in another nine states that banned sodomy between partners of any sexual orientation. Supporters of gay rights applauded the ruling, as did the majority of U. S. citizens, who believe that government should stay out of the bedrooms of consenting adults.