Tampa Bay Coalition
Media Release
June 26, 2003
 
TBC Shares in Jubilation Over Historic U.S. Supreme Court Ruling Ending  Sodomy Laws
 
Tampa Bay Coalition joins with all GLBT's in celebrating today's landmark US Supreme Court decision striking down Texas "Homosexual Conduct" sodomy law as unconstitutional. Finally, putting an end to the longstanding rationale allowing states to discriminate against same-sex couples, but, not heterosexuals, 
from engaging in consensual sex.
 
The 6 - 3 decision, says that the law was an unconstitutional violation of privacy and that states can not
make laws regarding the private sexual conduct of all Americans, including gays and lesbians. Today's Supreme Courts decision, reverses course from a ruling 17 years ago, where in a 5-to-4 vote, it upheld a Georgia law outlawing sodomy. Which allowed, that states could punish homosexuals for what such laws historically called deviant sex and now invalidates the Texas law against “deviate sexual intercourse with another individual of the same sex.”
 
Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote for the majority, the law “demeans the lives of homosexual persons." And that the Texas law, violates the "Due Process Clause of the Constitution" and called the ban on gay sex an "unconstitutional violation of privacy."  Justices John Paul Stevens, David Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer all agreed with Kennedy in full. Justice Sandra Day O’Connor agreed with the outcome of the case, but, not all of Kennedy’s rationale. Justice O'Connor said she believes that the law should have been overturned on grounds that it violates the Constitution’s equal protection clause.  

Today's Supreme Court ruling is not only a great historic victory toward equal rights for homosexuals in the U.S.. But, could very well set the stage, that would block any legislation that would propose amendments to the Constitution that would ban same-sex marriages. And could invalidate States with laws against same-sex couples rights to adopt. Such as the ongoing court battle against Florida's ban on gay adoptions.
 
"Perhaps, this could even lead the U.S. to follow Canada and other countries, in passing legislation that recognizes the "Equal Right of Same-Sex Marriages or Same-Sex Civil Unions," said R. Zeke Fread, the
coordinator and organizer of Tampa Bay Coalition, a GLBT rights organization..
 
"The Supreme Court ruling, is a great victory for the privacy and liberty of gays and lesbians," Fread said, adding "It's about time that the religious right is stopped from pressuring government officials to create
anti-gay legislation, solely based on what same-sex consenting adults do in the privacy of their own homes." Thus, they lose the ability to play the "Sodomy Card", leaving them no other reasonable excuse to continue
to deny equal rights and protections to gays and lesbians.   
 
R. Zeke Fread
Coordinator & Organizer
Tampa Bay Coalition   
 
Close Window to Return to TBC Web Site