To be completely honest, I wasn’t totally sure what this word meant. When I found out that it simply meant performing oral or anal sex, and the fact that up until 2003 it was illegal in some U.S. states, I lost it. Because we all know (many) heterosexual couples partake in sodomy, yet when it is between a same sex couple, suddenly it’s *tisk tisk* disgusting and unnatural. Talk about hypocritical. If anal/oral is to be looked down upon, everyone should also look down on the heterosexual couples performing it as well. There isn’t a difference between a heterosexual backdoor and a homosexual one, so why was/is one viewed as unnatural? It also just baffles my mind that I was alive while this was still in place. I used to think of our country as progressive, but upon taking this class it has dawned on me that things aren’t always as they seem. Think about it, I was 5 years old when anal/oral was considered illegal. What?
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SGST/ WOMS 200-011 
What I think is so interesting is that sodomy seems to be the most morally corrupt thing a same sex couple can do, but in hetero sexual couples it is not only viewed as acceptable, but as somehow more acceptable than vaginal intercourse. Think of this as how oral sex is often thought of as ‘third base’. Somehow when we are talking about heterosexual couples these same acts society views these same acts as less serious.
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I completely agree with this comment and was just as shocked as you were learning about the sodomy topic. Up until 2003? Really? It is astonishing to learn how recent people have become more accepting to anything other than the norm. Although it is legal now to have anal/ oral sex I feel like some people still to this day look down upon it when any one other than heterosexual performs it. This just goes to show how much society can affect someone causing them to be afraid to stray from the norm.
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Before entering this class I had no idea what sodomy was either. When you wrote that it was illegal up until 2003 I was shocked, but when I thought about it more I realized that still in the world we live in today certain things are still not equal. This instantly made me think of same sex marriage. In over 50 countries around the world and still a few in the United States, same sex marriage is still illegal. I hope that when we are older we can look back and say that in our life time we made a movement and changed this. The fact that sodomy was illegal in our life time and is now changed is a step in the right direction. I also agree with the fact that it was hypocritical for sodomy to be illegal. I do not understand how if a couple is heterosexual they can perform those acts but if it is homosexual it isn’t? So glad that this law was finally outlawed.
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Oh my gosh.. I had no idea sodomy remained illegal until 2003 in some states; that is INSANE. I can’t believe it. I was 5 or 6 too, that really blows my mind, good point to make. I didn’t really know what sodomy was either, but I always thought the word held a negative connotation, so I assumed therefore it was something “bad”. Obviously now I can see the insane double standard. Although I’m glad at least this law did in fact disappear. I was on snapchat the other day and found out that in some countries, such as iraq and iran, men can be publicly executed for engaging in homosexual sex. Like everyone, just that sink in a little – a PUBLIC execution for engaging in gay sex. Public executions would never be allowed in the U.S now, even for actual criminals, like murderers and rapist. Some countries are so unaccepting of homosexuality, they would rather these men not be on earth. I agree with you that the US isn’t necessarily as progressive as many would like. But I’d still say we are progressed way ahead than many other countries. You’re totally right in bringing up how shocking it is that sodomy stayed illegal that long though, I never would’ve thought that!
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I had never heard of the word sodomy before either! It baffles me that someone could deem it illegal? Like would there be a “butt sex police” how would you going about figuring out people performed the “crime” and what would be the punishment. Also I would love to hear the dialogue about it in court on how they would try to prove someone guilty. It’s a really ridiculous concept just like the recent bathroom arguments going on recently. It’s targeting specific groups of minorities and ostracizing them to make them feel un-normal.
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I completely agree with this comment as well. I also want to add, does anyone else think the word “sodomy” itself sounds bad? Like, it sounds like a heinous act or something. But it’s literally just un-reproductive sexual acts. Why do people care so much about other people’s sexual lives enough to make laws? If sex is a consensual act between two (or more) people (as long as it’s not sex with an adult and minor) , who cares?? Not me! What happens in someone’s sexual life should be their business. The government had no right to target individuals, specifically gay men, with the sodomy laws, while letting it slide between a married heterosexual couple. Our constitution starts with “For the people,” seems like it should be “for white heterosexuals.”
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I had no idea what Sodomy was either and I do agree that it sounds like a bad and negative word. I also agree that if that’s what people want to do then they should be able to do it if it is consensual. I feel as though the government always finds ways to get into people’s lives for no reason. What was the point of making it illegal? What did it prove or solve? Unfortunately there are so many hypocrites that believe that it’s only okay in certain circumstances. It’s sad that the word and concept of equality is so hard to implement.
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This is definitely disheartening to consider that as recent as 2003, sodomy was illegal.
I really believe that everyone in this country should be left to live their lives in peace and do as they please, so long as they aren’t harming others.
It’s frustrating there we live in times where legislation prevents things that are usually done in privacy among consenting adults.
The absurdity of this reminds me of how people must have felt during Jim Crow and segregation.
Hopefully we reach a point where oppression, discrimination and demonization are a thing of the past.
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I can definitely see where the confusion/unawareness of the real meaning of sodomy was as I was in a similar boat when I first heard the word. When I first heard it, I thought it meant something more along the lines of forced anal sex, or rape. So to hear that it really is as simple as you had described is indeed disheartening. Moreover, why would the sexual acts of people, be them heterosexual or not, need to be ruled upon through the law? It makes it harder to believe especially since these laws were targeted to those who were homosexual. It just makes me think like, “who has the time for that? Why does this matter to you so much?” It’s a really interesting topic to say the least.
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i agree that most heterosexual people are being hypocritical when they call sodomy a sin that should be looked down upon but then congratulate a buddy who just did it with some random girl? i also use to think that the country was progressing but after a certain election realized that i had just surrounded myself with accepting and open minded people. It baffles me too that there are some people who are so conservative that they still think homosexuals are ruining the “sanctity of marriage”. The last time i checked there are more heterosexual divorces that homosexual ones. It just amazes me how blinded people can be when it comes to heterosexual couples vs homosexual ones.
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I also was unsure of what this word meant until our class discussion. It was also interesting to realize that these acts were so frowned upon/ illegal up until some point but yet if a woman became pregnant they were looked down upon? So women were not allowed to perform acts that didn’t lead them to get pregnant, so when doing other things that were not sodomy and happened to get pregnant, they would be looked at poorly for that too. Another interesting point we brought up was how sodomy was just “assumed” to relate to homosexual male relationships, but it took a while in the discussion to realize that these acts can be committed by any type of couple. What happens in the bedroom between people is private and for people to come up with this word to have as a negative thing to describe acts of homosexual people, while heterosexual couples would be doing the same thing, is crazy!
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