Press Release

Humanists Slam Repressive Taboos

(Washington, D.C., March 25, 2003) “Tomorrow the U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case of great import to Humanists and others who value the principles of religious liberty, equality, sexual freedom, and privacy,” said Tony Hileman, executive director of the American Humanist Association (AHA).

“The Texas law criminalizing sodomy is an unconstitutional religious intrusion into private life,” continued Hileman, “The word sodomy comes from the biblical reference to Sodom and Gomorra; the legal use of such a term is tantamount to calling acts illegal based on their sinfulness.” The derogatory term sodomy is not even universally considered a sin from many religious perspectives.

The Texas law that the Court will be questioning tomorrow even specifies that sodomy is only illegal in same sex relationships. AHA president Mel Lipman responds, “Such gender specific anti-sodomy laws fly in the face of our legal system, which is based on equality under the law.”

These widely practiced sexual acts are not fairly characterized by the Texas law. Depending on the surveys, between 12 and 25 percent of adult Americans have engaged in anal sex and between 55 and 85 percent of adults engage in oral sex. Government prohibition of these common acts suppresses sexual freedom and our right to pursue happiness as we see fit.

The American Humanist Association has long supported sexual rights and responsibilities. In 1976 the AHA stated, “Repressive taboos should be replaced by a more balanced and objective view of sexuality based upon a sensitive awareness of human behavior and needs.”

Lipman adds, “The government has no compelling basis for declaring the practice of anal and oral sex illegal. It’s simply wrong for government to intrude in consenting sexual conduct among adults in the privacy of the home.” Hileman concluded, “The government is not in the business of deciding who can touch what body parts. Let the Court bring reason to Texas law.”