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| Title | The Nuntius, Vol. 2, No. 6, June 1971 |
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| Date | June 1971 |
| Language | English |
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| Identifier | OCLC: 28911959 |
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| Rights | No Copyright - United States |
| Note | This item was digitized from materials loaned by the Gulf Coast Archive and Museum (GCAM). |
| Title | File 018 |
| Transcript | There areother institutions that exist to satisfy the sexual oppetities of the homosexual and that are necessary because of homosexuals' inability to make safe liaisons as readily as heterosexuals. Homosexuals are forced to such places as gay bars, which are much like "straight" bars, except that their atmosphere is usually more predominantly sexual; baths, where homosexuals can retire with others and obtain what can be described as impersonal and satiating sex; and parks and restrooms ("tearooms"). These locations make it possible for many people who otherwise lead "normal" lives to engage in some quick, impersonal sex, much as their fathers made use of the neighborhood bawdy houses. How many people use these facilities? No one knows. However, one writer has estimated that between 50,000 and 100,000 persons use the gay bars of San Francisco to make sexual liaisons. Because there are laws against sodomy and against solicitation to engage in sodomy, many of these meeting places are patrolled or spied upon by the police. Typically, the police either spy through holes in the walls or other openings of suspected tearooms or individual police officers are charged with leading (seducing?) suspected homosexuals into making passes. As a result of these police practices, which vary in style and intensity from locale to locale, none of the homosexua meeting places are very safe Other Forms As for heterosexual sodomy, the statistics, again, are not complete. Kinsey estimated that nearly 60 per cent of the white male population has engaged in fellatio (oral-male genital relations); that about 17 per cent of the rural male population has engaged in bestiality. It is also clear from the Kinsey statistics that sod- omous activities increase with married couples. However, while many psychiatrists and psychologists are of the view that sodomous acts are often desirable and beneficial for marriage, many times they are intimidated from so advising patients because of the law. Moreover, educated persons, married and unmarried, often refrain or have guilt heelings because they know of the laws. While it is true that some people are incarcerated for sodomy (in Texas in 1969, 39 persons were committed to the state prison for sodomy offenses), according to Kinsey and others, almost all of us would be in jail for sexual offenses if the laws were enforced. This lack of uniform enforcement is itself a problem. For example, police can discriminate against interracial couples or against other "undesirables." Moreover, the laws give rise to the potential of blackmail, by SAN ANTONIO BOOR MART COMPLETE LINE OF ADULT BOOKS AND MAGAZINES MOVIE ARCADE 25< 09 E. Houston St. San Antonio, Tex. private persons and by the police. Repeal Even if one ignores entirely the rude invasion into people's privacy which is imposed by sodomy laws, it is submitted that whenever a law prohibits conduct in which large numbers of persons engage, absent some very strong reason for keeping the law, the law should be abolished. When dealing with "antisex" laws, and sodomy in particular, there are many reasons for removing the laws from the books: 1. Given the widespread practice of sodomy and the relatively small number of prosecutions, the danger of abuse of police and prosecutorial discretion is greatly enhanced. 2. Since persons can be arrested for the offending conduct only when the. police have evidence of a violation, the police are forced to engage in conduct which is undesirable, such as spying on restrooms or soliciting sexual contacts with others. 3. In those communities where considerable police effort is put into apprehending sexual deviants, there would appear to be misallocation of police resources. 4. The laws reinforce the mores which compel the presence of a deviant subculture in our society. Job Sanctions 5. These laws also provide a retionaMzation for private sanctions against "sexual deviants," such as refusal of employment. PAGE 17 |
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