May 29, 2016 | Sex & Society

Despite gains, police still target gay men

Despite the huge gains by LGBT Americans in being accepted and respected by mainstream society, there is still a long way to go, especially when protection from employment and housing discrimination depends on the whims of each state government. 

Law enforcement has always been a tool used by society to keep outliers in check, and though bar and bath house raids are a thing of the past, the police still sometimes use their authority to smack gay men down. 

Once example is the persistence of sodomy laws. In the landmark 2003 Lawrence v. Texas decision, the US Supreme Court ruled that states could not outlaw homosexual acts, rendering state sodomy laws unenforceable.

But twelve states still have not repealed their sodomy laws. While these statutes have no force of law, they do still carry some moral authority, and there have been instances where police departments have charged men with sodomy. While the charges are eventually dropped, it's not before an unfairly accused individual has undergone a great deal of emotional distress.

Another example is police stings in public parks and restrooms. An undercover officer will flirt with someone he suspects will be open to his advances. If the "suspect" responds by offering a peak at his dick, he is arrested and charged with indecent exposure. The consequences can be devastating, because under many state laws individuals convicted of indecent exposure must register as sex offenders. That means their name and address is published on the web alongside rapists and child molesters. Gay men have lost their jobs; others have killed themselves. 

While instances of police oppression of gay men are rare in the US, until all sodomy laws are repealed and police sex stings banned, gay men continue to live under the shadow of societal disapproval. 

The handsome undercover cop smiles. Is he entrapping gay men or cleaning up a park [LA Times]

American men are still being arrested for sodomy [Advocate]