Kansas Gov. Comfortable With Antisodomy Law

Neal Broverman

Neal Broverman is the Editorial Director, Print of Pride Media, publishers of The Advocate, Out, Out Traveler, and Plus, spending more than 20 years in journalism. He indulges his interest in transportation and urban planning with regular contributions to Los Angeles magazine, and his work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and USA Today. He lives in the City of Angels with his husband, children, and their chiweenie.

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Neal Broverman

January 23 2012 2:05 PM EST

May 26 2023 2:18 PM EST

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Even though the U.S. Supreme Court in 2003 struck down bans on consensual sex between gays, many states still have unenforceable laws against gay sex, including Kansas.

Kansas's conservative Republican governor, Sam Brownback, recently recommended that 51 outdated laws be repealed, but the "criminal sodomy" statute, which includes oral sex, was not not one of them. LGBT leaders say the laws are kept on books to intimidate and harass gays. Also, local police are sometimes unaware of the Supreme Court decision, Lawrence v. Texas, and still make arrests.

"Keeping these laws on the books can still do a lot of mischief and cause a lot of harm," Susan Sommer, director of constitutional litigation for Lambda Legal, told The New York Times.

There are about a dozen states that still have antisodomy laws on their books. Read more here.