The early United States inherited sodomy laws which constitutionally outlawed a variety of sexual acts deemed illegal, illicit, unlawful, unnatural or immoral from the colonial-era based laws in the 17th century. While these laws often targeted sexual acts between persons of the same sex, many sodomy-related statutes employed definitions broad enough to outlaw certain sexual acts between persons of different sexes, in some cases even including acts between married persons.
Through the mid to late 20th century, the gradual decriminalization of consensual sexual acts led to the elimination of anti-sodomy laws in most U . states. During this time, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of its sodomy laws in Bowers v. Hardwick in 1986. In 2003, the Supreme Court reversed that decision in Lawrence v. Texas, which invalidated any state sodomy laws, some of which were still law in the following 14 states: Alabama, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Virginia.
Tables
· Sodomy laws by jurisdiction in the United States
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Bestiality
Bestiality
Jurisdiction
Bestiality
Date statute struck down
Opposite-sex intercourse
Date statute repealed
Same-sex intercourse
Anal sex
Anal sex
Jurisdiction
Anal sex
Date statute struck down
Married intercourse
Date statute repealed
Oral sex
Covered by statute
Unmarried intercourse
Covered by statute
Anal sex
Covered by statute
Oral sex
Alabama
Alabama
Jurisdiction
Alabama
Date statute struck down
(Lawrence v. Texas)
Covered by statute
Ala. Code 1975 § 13A-6-220 - 221
Covered by statute
Alaska
Alaska
Jurisdiction
Alaska
Date statute struck down
N/A
Date statute repealed
(sodomy) 1971 (crime against nature, unnatural carnal copulation by means of the mouth, or otherwise)
Covered by statute
A . 11
American Samoa
American Samoa
Jurisdiction
American Samoa
Date statute repealed
N/A
Arizona
Arizona
Jurisdiction
Arizona
Date statute repealed
A . § 13-1411
Covered by statute
Arkansas
Arkansas
Jurisdiction
Arkansas
Date statute struck down
(Jegley v. Picado)
Date statute repealed
1975 (law reinstated in 1977)
Covered by statute
A . § 5-14-122
California
California
Jurisdiction
California
Date statute struck down
/A
Covered by statute
Cal. Penal Code § 286
Colorado
Colorado
Jurisdiction
Colorado
Date statute repealed
C. R. S. A. § 18-9-202
Connecticut
Connecticut
Jurisdiction
Connecticut
Date statute repealed
C. G. S. A. § 53a-73a
Delaware
Delaware
Jurisdiction
Delaware
Date statute repealed
11 Del . § 775
District of Columbia
District of Columbia
Jurisdiction
District of Columbia
Date statute repealed
D . Code § 22–1012 .
Florida
Florida
Jurisdiction
Florida
Date statute struck down
(Lawrence v. Texas; unnatural and lascivious act) 1971 (Franklin v. State; crimes against nature)
Date statute repealed
(crimes against nature)
Covered by statute
West's F. S. A. 828
Covered by statute
West's F. S. A. 800
Georgia
Georgia
Jurisdiction
Georgia
Date statute struck down
(Powell v. Georgia)
Date statute repealed
/A
Covered by statute
O . § 16-6-6
Covered by statute
O . § 16-6-2
Guam
Guam
Jurisdiction
Guam
Date statute struck down
/A
Covered by statute
9 GCA § 70 .
Covered by statute
Hawaii
Hawaii
Jurisdiction
Hawaii
Date statute repealed
HRS § 711-1109
Idaho
Idaho
Jurisdiction
Idaho
Date statute struck down
(Lawrence v. Texas)
Date statute repealed
1971 (law reinstated in 1972)
Covered by statute
I . § 18-6602
Illinois
Illinois
Jurisdiction
Illinois
Date statute struck down
/A
Covered by statute
720 I . 5/12-35
Indiana
Indiana
Jurisdiction
Indiana
Date statute repealed
I . 35-46-3-14
Iowa
Iowa
Jurisdiction
Iowa
Date statute repealed
I . § 717C
Kansas
Kansas
Jurisdiction
Kansas
Date statute struck down
(Lawrence v. Texas)
Date statute repealed
(opposite-sex intercourse)
Covered by statute
K . 21-5504
Covered by statute
Covered by statute
K . 21-5504
Kentucky
Kentucky
Jurisdiction
Kentucky
Date statute struck down
(Kentucky v. Wasson)
Date statute repealed
(opposite-sex intercourse)
Covered by statute
KRS § 525
Covered by statute
KRS § 510
Louisiana
Louisiana
Jurisdiction
Louisiana
Date statute struck down
(Lawrence v. Texas)
Date statute repealed
/A
Covered by statute
LSA-R . 14:89
Covered by statute
LSA-R . 14:89
Maine
Maine
Jurisdiction
Maine
Date statute struck down
/A
Covered by statute
17 M . § 1031
Covered by statute
Maryland
Maryland
Jurisdiction
Maryland
Date statute struck down
(Williams v. Glendening; anal sex) 1998 (Williams v. Glendening; opposite-sex oral sex and same-sex intercourse) 1990 (Schochet v. State; opposite-sex intercourse)
Date statute repealed
(unnatural and perverted sexual practice) 2020 (sodomy)
Covered by statute
MD Code, Criminal Law, § 10-606.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts
Jurisdiction
Massachusetts
Date statute struck down
(Commonwealth v. Balthazar)
Date statute repealed
/A
Covered by statute
M . 272 § 77
M . 272 § 34
Covered by statute
M . 272 § 34
M . 272 § 35
Michigan
Michigan
Jurisdiction
Michigan
Date statute struck down
(Lawrence v. Texas) 1990 (Michigan Organization for Human Rights v. Kelley; applied directly to Wayne County; uncertain whether ruling was binding statewide; reversed in 1992 in People v. Brashier)
Date statute repealed
M . 750
Covered by statute
M . 750 M . 750 M . 750 M . 750
Minnesota
Minnesota
Jurisdiction
Minnesota
Date statute struck down
(Doe v. Ventura)
Covered by statute
M . § 609
Covered by statute
Mississippi
Mississippi
Jurisdiction
Mississippi
Date statute struck down
(Lawrence v. Texas)
Date statute repealed
/A
Covered by statute
Miss. Code Ann. § 97-29-59
Missouri
Missouri
Jurisdiction
Missouri
Date statute struck down
(Lawrence v. Texas; rest of the state outside of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District) 1999 (State of Missouri v. Cogshell; Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District only)
(Lawrence v. Texas) 1970 (Buchanan v. Batchelor; reversed in 1971 by the United States Supreme Court)
Date statute repealed
19891974
(opposite-sex anal and oral sex)
Covered by statute
V. T. C. A., Penal Code § 21
Covered by statute
Covered by statute
V. T. C. A., Penal Code § 21
United States Armed Forces
United States Armed Forces
Jurisdiction
United States Armed Forces
Date statute struck down
(Lawrence v. Texas)
Covered by statute
10 U . Code § 934 - Art. 134.
Covered by statute
United States of America
United States of America
Jurisdiction
United States of America
Date statute struck down
/A
Utah
Utah
Jurisdiction
Utah
Date statute struck down
(Lawrence v. Texas)
Date statute repealed
1971 (law reinstated in 1972)
Covered by statute
U . 1953 § 76-9-301
Covered by statute
Vermont
Vermont
Jurisdiction
Vermont
Date statute struck down
/A
Covered by statute
13 V . § 352
Virgin Islands of the United States
Virgin Islands of the United States
Jurisdiction
Virgin Islands of the United States
Date statute repealed
14 V . § 2062
Virginia
Virginia
Jurisdiction
Virginia
Date statute struck down
(Lawrence v. Texas)
Date statute repealed
(anal and oral sex) 2013 (lewd and lascivious cohabitation)
Covered by statute
Va. Code Ann. § 18
Washington
Washington
Jurisdiction
Washington
Date statute struck down
/A
Covered by statute
West's RCWA 16
West Virginia
West Virginia
Jurisdiction
West Virginia
Date statute repealed
/A
Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Jurisdiction
Wisconsin
Date statute repealed
W . 944
Covered by statute
Wyoming
Wyoming
Jurisdiction
Wyoming
Date statute repealed
W § 6-4-601
Ranked list
Jurisdiction
Date statute struck down
Date statute repealed
Covered by statute
Bestiality
Opposite-sex intercourse
Same-sex intercourse
Anal sex
Married intercourse
Oral sex
Unmarried intercourse
Anal sex
Oral sex
Alabama
(Lawrence v. Texas)
Ala. Code 1975 § 13A-6-220 - 221
Alaska
N/A
(sodomy) 1971 (crime against nature, unnatural carnal copulation by means of the mouth, or otherwise)
A . 11
American Samoa
N/A
Arizona
A . § 13-1411
Arkansas
(Jegley v. Picado)
1975 (law reinstated in 1977)
A . § 5-14-122
California
/A
Cal. Penal Code § 286
Colorado
C. R. S. A. § 18-9-202
Connecticut
C. G. S. A. § 53a-73a
Delaware
11 Del . § 775
District of Columbia
D . Code § 22–1012 .
Florida
(Lawrence v. Texas; unnatural and lascivious act) 1971 (Franklin v. State; crimes against nature)
(crimes against nature)
West's F. S. A. 828
West's F. S. A. 800
Georgia
(Powell v. Georgia)
/A
O . § 16-6-6
O . § 16-6-2
Guam
/A
9 GCA § 70 .
Hawaii
HRS § 711-1109
Idaho
(Lawrence v. Texas)
1971 (law reinstated in 1972)
I . § 18-6602
Illinois
/A
720 I . 5/12-35
Indiana
I . 35-46-3-14
Iowa
I . § 717C
Kansas
(Lawrence v. Texas)
(opposite-sex intercourse)
K . 21-5504
K . 21-5504
Kentucky
(Kentucky v. Wasson)
(opposite-sex intercourse)
KRS § 525
KRS § 510
Louisiana
(Lawrence v. Texas)
/A
LSA-R . 14:89
LSA-R . 14:89
Maine
/A
17 M . § 1031
Maryland
(Williams v. Glendening; anal sex) 1998 (Williams v. Glendening; opposite-sex oral sex and same-sex intercourse) 1990 (Schochet v. State; opposite-sex intercourse)
(unnatural and perverted sexual practice) 2020 (sodomy)
MD Code, Criminal Law, § 10-606.
Massachusetts
(Commonwealth v. Balthazar)
/A
M . 272 § 77 M . 272 § 34
M . 272 § 34 M . 272 § 35
Michigan
(Lawrence v. Texas) 1990 (Michigan Organization for Human Rights v. Kelley; applied directly to Wayne County; uncertain whether ruling was binding statewide; reversed in 1992 in People v. Brashier)
M . 750
M . 750 M . 750 M . 750 M . 750
Minnesota
(Doe v. Ventura)
M . § 609
Mississippi
(Lawrence v. Texas)
/A
Miss. Code Ann. § 97-29-59
Missouri
(Lawrence v. Texas; rest of the state outside of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District) 1999 (State of Missouri v. Cogshell; Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District only)
