Current Version
| Region | West Virginia |
| Issue | Homosexual activity |
| Status | Male illegal, female legal |
| Start Date | Jun 20, 1863 |
| End Date | Jan 13, 1956 |
| Description | When West Virginia was admitted to the Union after it broke away from Virginia during the American Civil War, it inherited Virginia's sodomy laws. This is because West Virginia's first constitution authorized that laws of Virginia in effect at the time of separation would remain in force. The punishment for sodomy was 1-5 years in jail. In 1930, a code revision eliminated the term "buggery" and replaced it with "crimes against nature." The punishment for "crimes against nature." in the code revision was "not less than one nor more than ten years" in the penitentiary (a prison for people convicted of serious crimes). |
| Sources | https://www.glapn.org/sodomylaws/sensibilities/west_virginia.htm |
Revision History (2)
edited by Unknownmiles. Fixing the grammar.
Helpful?
0 | Old Value (Original) | New Value (Current) | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | When West Virginia was admitted to the Union after it broke away from Virginia during the American Civil War, it inherited Virginia's sodomy laws. This is because West Virginia's first constitution authorized that laws of Virginia in effect at the time of separation would remain in force. The punishment for sodomy was of 1-5 years in jail. In 1930, a code revision eliminated the term "buggery" and replaced it with "crimes against nature." The punishment for "crimes against nature." in the code revision was "not less than one nor more than ten years" in the penitentiary (a prison for people convicted of serious crimes). | When West Virginia was admitted to the Union after it broke away from Virginia during the American Civil War, it inherited Virginia's sodomy laws. This is because West Virginia's first constitution authorized that laws of Virginia in effect at the time of separation would remain in force. The punishment for sodomy was 1-5 years in jail. In 1930, a code revision eliminated the term "buggery" and replaced it with "crimes against nature." The punishment for "crimes against nature." in the code revision was "not less than one nor more than ten years" in the penitentiary (a prison for people convicted of serious crimes). |
Show Difference | ||
created by Unknownmiles
Helpful?
0 | Original entry | |
|---|---|
| Status | Male illegal, female legal |
| Start Date | Jun 20, 1863 |
| End Date | Jan 13, 1956 |
| Description | When West Virginia was admitted to the Union after it broke away from Virginia during the American Civil War, it inherited Virginia's sodomy laws. This is because West Virginia's first constitution authorized that laws of Virginia in effect at the time of separation would remain in force. The punishment for sodomy was of 1-5 years in jail. In 1930, a code revision eliminated the term "buggery" and replaced it with "crimes against nature." The punishment for "crimes against nature." in the code revision was "not less than one nor more than ten years" in the penitentiary (a prison for people convicted of serious crimes). |
| Sources | https://www.glapn.org/sodomylaws/sensibilities/west_virginia.htm |