State Supreme Court Rejects Gay-Sex Ban

The Montana Supreme Court threw out a 24-year-old ban on homosexual sex, ruling government shouldn’t meddle in the sexual activity of consenting adults. Although no one has been prosecuted under the law, a 1993 lawsuit by six homosexuals claimed that gays and lesbians live in fear of being charged with a crime, and that takes an emotional and psychological toll. District Judge Jeffrey Sherlock of Helena agreed in February 1996, and the Supreme Court rejected the state’s arguments on appeal. Arkansas, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri and Oklahoma still ban gay sex, said Linda Mangel, attorney for Northwest Women’s Law Center in Seattle.