Sodomite Suppression Act - MERGED

[FundieWatcher]

Matthew McLaughlin, a fundie Christian activist in California, has paid the fee to file a ballot initiative with the Attorney General in Sacramento that proposes his Sodomite Suppression Act become law. The Act calls for the death penalty for gay people. (No for sodomy, just "sodomized", straight people I suppose are free to have anal sex)

Of course everyone knows it will never pass the number of signatures required. And among other things, it is unconstitutional. But it just shows the line of thinking that out there.

You can read the full Sodomite Suppression Act here: http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/6786776

[jerkit]

I have no words.

[Four is Enough]

Unless they're having sex right there on the sidewalk, how does someone even know what is going on with people sexually? (I know people THINK they know what's going on. Don't answer that. It was meant to be sarcastic.)

Damnfoolidjits.

[Rachel333]

Oh goodness. He knows it won't pass, but I guess he thinks it makes him look like he's doing everything he can?

I actually thought this was something an LGBT activist was proposing as a joke, since an anti-sodomy bill would probably affect far more straight people than gay people, but no, it is specifically same-sex sodomy.

How would this be enforced anyway? Would someone have to actually witness the act? And this would still leave gay couples free to do everything except anal sex (which isn't something all gay men do anyway).

[shedemei]

Ah yes, another in the long line of people using our legislative system as their soapbox instead of actual legislation. The initiative is available as a PDF here: http://oag.ca.gov/initiatives/search?populate=Sodomite

The abominable crime against nature known as buggery, called also sodomy, is a monstrous evil that Almighty God, giver of freedom and liberty, commands us to suppress on pain of our utter destruction even as he overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

I had no idea "buggery" was the preferred legal term. :eyeroll:

I have to admit I find fringe weirdos with no hope of power to be a guilty pleasure. Every year I read the voter's guide with the best of intentions, but always end up looking for entertainment, like the guy that runs to make a statement that we should start space colonization.

[ThisOlGirl]

Every time I read about one of these stupid people introducing one of these stupid bills, all I can think is "Really? THIS is what you're spending your time on?" If I went to my job and didn't do anything except what I decided was important to me, I'd be fired.

ETA: oops, missed the part where he was an activist/nutter. Glad he's not actually a politician.

[Becket70]

I live in CA and this will never see the light of day as a ballot initiative. Kamala Harris (D), who is the Attorney General and who is running for the Senate to replace Barbara Boxer, is "reviewing" it. Now, if he wants to move to Arkansas and try it there, he might have more luck.

[salex]

Every time I read about one of these stupid people introducing one of these stupid bills, all I can think is "Really? THIS is what you're spending your time on?" If I went to my job and didn't do anything except what I decided was important to me, I'd be fired.

ETA: oops, missed the part where he was an activist/nutter. Glad he's not actually a politician.

I expect all the anti sharia states will have at least one state congressman who will at least try to get this in committee in the next year, if they have not already.

I have zero faith that they aren't going to kill the USA before I die of old age....

[NotALoserLikeYou]

This is too insane. He could be disbarred.

[thoughtful]

I wonder if he's heard from the PP yet, cheering him on.

"Suppression" may be the weakest euphemism for "killing people" I've ever heard.

[Dandruff]

Ah yes, another in the long line of people using our legislative system as their soapbox instead of actual legislation. The initiative is available as a PDF here: http://oag.ca.gov/initiatives/search?populate=Sodomite

I had no idea "buggery" was the preferred legal term. :eyeroll:

I have to admit I find fringe weirdos with no hope of power to be a guilty pleasure. Every year I read the voter's guide with the best of intentions, but always end up looking for entertainment, like the guy that runs to make a statement that we should start space colonization.

How is it a crime against nature? I'm genuinely curious. Does anyone know what he means?

[salex]

How is it a crime against nature? I'm genuinely curious. Does anyone know what he means?

It is an old legal term, off the books in most states but not all (per wiki-- I know it is wiki, but it gives an overview..en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_against_nature)

From what I can tell, i've engaged in a few crimes against nature in my time....

[SunnyAndrsn]

How is it a crime against nature? I'm genuinely curious. Does anyone know what he means?

LOL, because only only penis-in-vagina sex for the purpose of procreation is acceptable. Anal sex results in all that poor semen fruitlessly searching for an egg that's not there. If a sperm is wasted, God gets quite irate.

[Dandruff]

LOL, because only only penis-in-vagina sex for the purpose of procreation is acceptable. Anal sex results in all that poor semen fruitlessly searching for an egg that's not there. If a sperm is wasted, God gets quite irate.

Those poor sperm. I understand now.:doh: Thanks.

I wonder how much time this guy spends thinking about buggery.

[ILoveJellybeans]

How is it a crime against nature? I'm genuinely curious. Does anyone know what he means?

Im guessing he is one of those people who thinks that humans are the only animal that can be gay, and that all animals are always male/female couples and their many babies, where mommy animal looks after the babies and daddy animal goes out to hunt for food and provide for the family, instead of the true, often dirty, reality of animal sex.

No sexual behaviour is against nature. Plenty of animals have gay sex, and there is a famous story about a gay penguin couple who were given an egg to raise.

In fact, even in the animal world, fundie style relationships are in the minority, theres rapey ducks, asexual reproduction, male seahorses who give birth, hyena females with their aggression and penises, group sex, promiscuity, prostitution, spiders with their weird mating and cannibalism, animals who do not raise their children at all but instead lay eggs and leave them to fend for themselves, animals who can change sex...although like fundies, jellyfish do not have brains.

[Cleopatra7]

How is it a crime against nature? I'm genuinely curious. Does anyone know what he means?

When fundamentalists talk about this or that being "unnatural," they're usually referencing natural law theory. It's the basis for Catholic moral theology but more conservative Protestants are getting into it because it provides a superficially secular argument against homosexuality. The main problem is that natural law theory is based on Aristotelianism and contains all of the bad science you would expect from a philosopher from the 4th century ce. I wrote a lengthy blog entry on the topic here in case you want more information :

https://extraecclesiamestlibertas.wordp ... s-natural/

(Link not broken because I'm a FJer)

[FloraKitty35]

Sounds like another self loathing closet case.

[darkplumaged]

Sounds like another self loathing closet case.

Yup. All I can say is that this guy spends a lot of time thinking about butt sex. A LOT.

[ghost]

Im guessing he is one of those people who thinks that humans are the only animal that can be gay, and that all animals are always male/female couples and their many babies, where mommy animal looks after the babies and daddy animal goes out to hunt for food and provide for the family, instead of the true, often dirty, reality of animal sex.

No sexual behaviour is against nature. Plenty of animals have gay sex, and there is a famous story about a gay penguin couple who were given an egg to raise.

In fact, even in the animal world, fundie style relationships are in the minority, theres rapey ducks, asexual reproduction, male seahorses who give birth, hyena females with their aggression and penises, group sex, promiscuity, prostitution, spiders with their weird mating and cannibalism, animals who do not raise their children at all but instead lay eggs and leave them to fend for themselves, animals who can change sex...although like fundies, jellyfish do not have brains.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

[DGayle]

Who thought prop 8 would pass? (I'll never forgive the Mormons who registered there to vote to pass that hateful ban.) Get all the fundies to register to vote in California, and this could pass. No court would ever enforce it, and it would be overturned, but I don't doubt fundies could do it.

[ViolaSebastian]

And we're back to straight people's blow jobs and anal sex not being sodomy. I'm genuinely confused about this line of reasoning, since ClockNDagger never explained it to me. Is it because of the marriage bed not being defiled verse from Hebrews?

[saguarosally]

I wonder if he's heard from the PP yet, cheering him on.

"Suppression" may be the weakest euphemism for "killing people" I've ever heard.

The PP is probably busy trying to get the Sodomite Suppression Act on the ballot in Arizona. Tone it down a bit and it could probably get through in Arizona, unfortunately.

[Cleopatra7]

And we're back to straight people's blow jobs and anal sex not being sodomy. I'm genuinely confused about this line of reasoning, since ClockNDagger never explained it to me. Is it because of the marriage bed not being defiled verse from Hebrews?

The early church was very clear about PIV sex within heterosexual marriage being the only acceptable kind of sex. Of course, that didn't stop people from branching out into other areas but at least it was consistent. The Catholic Church and the Orthodox churches both still officially teach that "sodomy" is unacceptable for straights and gays but there's no move to enforce it as is the case with gays.

[Mama Mia]

Who thought prop 8 would pass? (I'll never forgive the Mormons who registered there to vote to pass that hateful ban.) Get all the fundies to register to vote in California, and this could pass. No court would ever enforce it, and it would be overturned, but I don't doubt fundies could do it.

Well for one thing he would have to get 350,000 signatures to even get it on the ballot. All anyone has to do to file is fill out a form and pay $200. It's a looooonnnggg road from random fanatic with an agenda to ballot placement.

Also, it a huge, huge jump to go from " disapprove of same sex marriage only 3 years since the first state enacted it" to " think anyone who engages in a homosexual act should be shot in the head" . Not remotely comparable. At the time candidate Obama still opposed same sex marriage.

There were also a lot of other issues that lead to the passage of Prop 8.

A major one, of course, was the huge amount of money ( and people ) that poured in to defeat it. And their campaign was run really well. For one thing they took advantage of still new social media and flooded it with ads. They also didn't even focus on the idea of Homosexuality being wrong, exactly, in their ads. What they focused on was the idea that kindergarteners will be forcibly taught about homosexuality. So it was an ad campaign all about making parents scared that the school would teach 5 year olds about issues the parents weren't comfortable with.

Conversely , sadly, the NO on 8 campaign was absolutely, positively Awful. Like really really awful. For one they didn't do much outreach to the generally more social conservative minority communities. Which was a particularly bad idea in 2008.

But the absolutely worst part was that their early ads made you think that a yes vote was a good thing. they were very, very badly worded. Watching them you would think yes meant a vote to save the right to same sex marriage. Some ads were clear, but those were mostly at the very end of the campaign.

And of course now that I'm looking I can't find the ads I mean. iIRC the main theme was a loving hetro couple being suddenly torn apart in various situations - weddings and I think death beds, etc. and then a line about " what if this could happen to you?" And then just noh8te. Which people were supposed to know that meant " no on 8" , but could just as easily mean if you're against hate vote for 8. Or that it was the logo for some new perfume that could keep you together. My mind could be exaggerating , but I was really frustrated at the time. I did a lot of campaigning to defeat 8 .

[ADoyle90815]

Yup. All I can say is that this guy spends a lot of time thinking about butt sex. A LOT.

Exactly. To me, this nut and others like him are no different than Islamic terrorists, as they corrupt religion to be able to excuse hate.