The Louisiana State House voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to reject a state Democrat’s attempt to repeal an anti-sodomy law, enshrining the anti-gay measure in the state’s books.
State Representative Patricia Smith sought to amend Louisiana’s crimes against nature law by removing a prohibition on consensual relations between people of the same sex, the Associated Press reports. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled a similar Texas law unconstitutional a decade ago.
State Representative Valarie Hodges, a Republican, led opponents of Smith’s measure, who said the law protects children and upholds morality. The State House voted 66-27 in favor of rejecting the repeal.
Smith brought the repeal bill after Baton Rouge-area police officers arrested gay men using the law. They were unable to charge the men because the district attorney said the law was not enforceable.
[AP]
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