Current Version
| Region | Washington |
| Issue | Homosexual activity |
| Status | Legal |
| Start Date | Jul 1, 1976 |
| End Date | (none) |
| Description | WASHINGTON LAWS, 1975 1st ex.s. c 260 § 9A.92.010 Item 209 repealed Washington's Sodomy Laws: (a) Section 2. chapter 139, Laws of 1893 (b) Section 204, chapter 249, Laws of 1909 (c) Section 3, chapter 74, Laws of 1937 (d) RCW 9.79.100 Sodomy - Penalties. Item 226 repealed Washington's Vagrancy Laws: (a) Section 1, page 85, Laws of 1875, (b) Section 1271, Code of 1881 (c) Section 436, chapter 249, Laws of 1909 (d) Section 1, chapter 11, Laws of 1965 (e) Section 29, chapter 122 Laws of 1972 ex. sess. (f) RCW 9.87.010 Vagrancy. The U.S. Supreme Court further secured these protections when it ruled in LAWRENCE ET Al. v. TEXAS on June 26, 2003, that any law "making it a crime for two persons of the same sex to engage in certain intimate sexual conduct violates the Due Process Clause" of the Fourteenth Amendment. |
| Sources | 1975 1st ex.s. c 260 § 9A.92.010 https://leg.wa.gov/CodeReviser/documents/sessionlaw/1975ex1c260.pdf LAWRENCE V. TEXAS (02-102) 539 U.S. 558 (2003) https://www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/legal-docs/lawrence_tx_20030626_decision-us-supreme-court RCW 9.79.100 Sodomy - Penalties. https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/dispo.aspx?cite=9.79.100 RCW 9.87.010 Vagrancy. https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/dispo.aspx?cite=9.87.010 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 law, re-added court case affirming protections, and added primary sources
Helpful?
0 | Old Value | New Value (Current) | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Sodomy legalized for washington in 1976. | WASHINGTON LAWS, 1975 1st ex.s. c 260 § 9A.92.010 Item 209 repealed Washington's Sodomy Laws: (a) Section 2. chapter 139, Laws of 1893 (b) Section 204, chapter 249, Laws of 1909 (c) Section 3, chapter 74, Laws of 1937 (d) RCW 9.79.100 Sodomy - Penalties. Item 226 repealed Washington's Vagrancy Laws: (a) Section 1, page 85, Laws of 1875, (b) Section 1271, Code of 1881 (c) Section 436, chapter 249, Laws of 1909 (d) Section 1, chapter 11, Laws of 1965 (e) Section 29, chapter 122 Laws of 1972 ex. sess. (f) RCW 9.87.010 Vagrancy. The U.S. Supreme Court further secured these protections when it ruled in LAWRENCE ET Al. v. TEXAS on June 26, 2003, that any law "making it a crime for two persons of the same sex to engage in certain intimate sexual conduct violates the Due Process Clause" of the Fourteenth Amendment. |
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| Sources | https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Washington_(state)#Summary_table | 1975 1st ex.s. c 260 § 9A.92.010 https://leg.wa.gov/CodeReviser/documents/sessionlaw/1975ex1c260.pdf LAWRENCE V. TEXAS (02-102) 539 U.S. 558 (2003) https://www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/legal-docs/lawrence_tx_20030626_decision-us-supreme-court RCW 9.79.100 Sodomy - Penalties. https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/dispo.aspx?cite=9.79.100 RCW 9.87.010 Vagrancy. https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/dispo.aspx?cite=9.87.010 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 | (REMOVED) | Legal |
| Special Status | Ambiguous | (REMOVED) |
| End Date | Jun 26, 2003 | (none) |
| Description | Sodomy legalized in 1976, although it is uncertain whether this applied to MSMs | Sodomy legalized for washington in 1976. |
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| Old Value (Original) | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Sodomy legalized in 1976, although it is uncertain whether this applies to MSMs | Sodomy legalized in 1976, although it is uncertain whether this applied to MSMs |
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