Current Version
| Region | Washington |
| Issue | Homosexual activity |
| Status | Illegal (imprisonment as punishment) |
| Start Date | Jan 29, 1909 |
| End Date | Jul 1, 1976 |
| Description | Laws of Washington 1909 c 249 § 204 amended the state's sodomy law to include oral sex, added a clause to specifically criminalize voluntarily submitting to 'carnal knowledge', and lowered the penalty to "imprisonment in the state penitentiary for not more than ten years". |
| Sources | Laws of Washington 1909 c 249 § 204 https://leg.wa.gov/CodeReviser/documents/sessionlaw/1909c249.pdf RCW 9.79.100 Sodomy - Penalties. https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/dispo.aspx?cite=9.79.100 Painter, George. History of Sodomy Laws in the United States. https://www.glapn.org/sodomylaws/sensibilities/washington.htm |
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Revision History (4)
edited by JerofDoorhandle. Added specific laws and primary sources
Helpful?
0 | Old Value | New Value (Current) | |
|---|---|---|
| Start Date | (unknown) | Jan 29, 1909 |
| Description | Sodomy was illegal until 1976, although oral sex was fairly common among “hippies” in the 60s and early 70s. | Laws of Washington 1909 c 249 § 204 amended the state's sodomy law to include oral sex, added a clause to specifically criminalize voluntarily submitting to 'carnal knowledge', and lowered the penalty to "imprisonment in the state penitentiary for not more than ten years". |
Show Difference | ||
| Sources | https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodomy_laws_in_the_United_States | Laws of Washington 1909 c 249 § 204 https://leg.wa.gov/CodeReviser/documents/sessionlaw/1909c249.pdf RCW 9.79.100 Sodomy - Penalties. https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/dispo.aspx?cite=9.79.100 Painter, George. History of Sodomy Laws in the United States. https://www.glapn.org/sodomylaws/sensibilities/washington.htm |
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| Old Value | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Value | Legal | Illegal (imprisonment as punishment) |
| Start Date | Jun 26, 2003 | (unknown) |
| End Date | (none) | Jul 1, 1976 |
| Description | US Supreme Court ruling issued in Lawrence v. Texas struck down all sodomy laws on the basis of privacy and liberty. The decision overturned any laws remaining in all US states which prohibited any acts of sodomy. | Sodomy was illegal until 1976, although oral sex was fairly common among “hippies” in the 60s and early 70s. |
Show Difference | ||
| Sources | http://www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/legal-docs/lawrence_tx_20030626_decision-us-supreme-court | https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodomy_laws_in_the_United_States |
Show Difference | ||
| Old Value (Original) | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | US Supreme Court ruling issued in Lawrence v. Texas struck down all sodomy laws on the basis of privacy and liberty. The decision overturned any laws remaining in all US states which prohibited acts of sodomy. | US Supreme Court ruling issued in Lawrence v. Texas struck down all sodomy laws on the basis of privacy and liberty. The decision overturned any laws remaining in all US states which prohibited any acts of sodomy. |
Show Difference | ||
| Original entry | |
|---|---|
| Status | Legal |
| Start Date | Jun 26, 2003 |
| End Date | (none) |
| Description | US Supreme Court ruling issued in Lawrence v. Texas struck down all sodomy laws on the basis of privacy and liberty. The decision overturned any laws remaining in all US states which prohibited acts of sodomy. |
| Sources | http://www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/legal-docs/lawrence_tx_20030626_decision-us-supreme-court |
Reports (2)
- Date is incorrect "Gay activity was legalized in the state of Washington as of June 1975, Long before the 2003 Lawrance V Texas"
- Date is incorrect "WA decriminalized same-sex activity in 1976."