New York—The American Civil Liberties Union has asked for the end of criminal sanctions for homosexual practices in private between consenting adult partners.
In a policy statement released in New York today, the civil liberties group said that while laws penalizing homosexual conduct are “more honored in the breach than in practice” there is widespread “harassment and—intimidation of homosexuals.”
The existence of such laws, moreover, stimulates governmental harassment of persons who engage in non-typical sexual behavior, even though no criminal charge is placed against them.
The ACLU stated that its position pertains only to the private behavior of consenting adults. “The state has a legitimate interest in controlling, by criminal sanctions, public solicitation for sexual acts, and particularly, sexual practices where a minor is concerned.”