CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
The Montana state senate Wednesday, with bipartisan support, voted to remove the state's anti-sodomy law from the books, the Associated Press reports.
The law had been struck down by the Montana supreme court in 1997, six years before the U.S. Supreme Court voided all state sodomy laws, but had remained part of the state's legal code.
The senate approved removal of the law by a 41-9 vote, with 19 of the 28 Republican senators supporting the move. Even though the state Republican platform has called for criminalizing gay sex ever since the 1997 supreme court decision, the AP noted, "A noticeable shift in public opinion over sexual issues in the years since then, and the GOP's support for individual freedoms, led some Republicans to throw their weight behind the often Democrat-backed issue."
Sen. Tom Facey, a Democrat, sponsored the repeal bill, and another Democrat, Sen. Christine Kaufmann, spoke fervently in support of the measure, with references to her relationship with a female partner.
"For 30 years the words in this code have aligned me with people who molest animals," Kaufmann said. "You have many gay and lesbian members of your community who live under these words every day."
LGBT activists saw Wednesday's vote as an important step forward. "We are thrilled to see the Montana senate finally [vote to] remove unconstitutional language that is both hurtful and demeaning to gay and lesbian Montanans from the law books," Jamee Greer of the Montana Human Rights Network said in a statement.
The measure will go through one more vote, largely procedural, in the senate before moving to the house, the AP reports.
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
18 of the most batsh*t things N.C. Republican governor candidate Mark Robinson has said
October 30 2024 11:06 AM
True
After 20 years, and after tonight, Obama will no longer be the Democrats' top star
August 20 2024 12:28 PM
More Than 50 of Our Favorite LGBTQ+ Moms
May 12 2024 11:44 AM
Trump ally Laura Loomer goes after Lindsey Graham: ‘We all know you’re gay’
September 13 2024 2:28 PM
60 wild photos from Folsom Street East that prove New York City knows how to play
June 21 2024 12:25 PM
Melania Trump cashed six-figure check to speak to gay Republicans at Mar-a-Lago
August 16 2024 5:57 PM
Latest Stories
LIVE: Election Day 2024
1h
7 things to watch for in today's House and Senate races
Key LGBTQ+ races to watch on Election Day
Pattie Gonia shares 2024 election update on who she's voting for & why
November 04 2024 8:22 AM
Kamala Harris stars in 'SNL' cold open that clowns Trump & reinforces her message of hope
November 03 2024 1:10 AM
Here's how DNC pollster Celinda Lake sees the 2024 election shaping up for Tuesday
November 02 2024 1:14 PM
LGBTQ+ voters in these 4 states could swing the 2024 presidential election
November 02 2024 12:53 PM
Missing bisexual rugby player Levi Davis could have been blackmailed: report
November 02 2024 12:40 PM
Michigan church fires beloved music director of 34 years over same-sex marriage
November 02 2024 12:37 PM