Sex laws:

In Slate's Explainer this week, there is a discussion about sodomy. One reference provided is http://www.sodomylaws.org/ which has a state-by-state breakdown of the statutes. We looked at a few, and most of them were uninteresting, but Arizona's caught our eye. This is the now recinded law (13-1412, Lewd and Lascivious Acts, Drafted in 1901; Repealed in 2001):

A person who knowingly and without force commits, in any unnatural manner, any lewd or lascivious act upon or with the body or any part or member thereof of a male or female adult, with the intent of arousing, appealing to or gratifying the lust, passion or sexual desires of either of such persons, is guilty of a class 3 misdemeanor.

Let's distill those words a bit. We get:

A person who commits a sensual act upon an adult with the intent of gratifying passion or sexual desire is guilty of a class 3 misdemeanor.

This statute is unusual because most other states outlaw the mechanics of sodomy by listing prohibited contact between various enumerated body parts. But Arizonans, bless 'em, got right down to the point and declared it against the law for an adult to experience sexual pleasure under certain conditions. That kind of thinking (anti-pleasure) also is behind our current drug laws.

How peculiar humankind is. Outlawing acts that result in sexual pleasure, yet not at the same time outlawing acts that result in anxiety, emotional distress, and any number of unpleasant feelings.

posted by Quiddity at 12/11/2002 06:54:00 AM