About that Sodomy Thing
Two judgments:
Freedom extends beyond spatial bounds. Liberty presumes an autonomy of self that includes freedom of thought, belief, expression, and certain intimate conduct.
— Justice Kennedy, in the majority opinion
Many Americans do not want persons who openly engage in homosexual conduct as partners in their business, as scoutmasters for their children, as teachers in their children’s schools, or as boarders in their home. They view this as protecting themselves and their families from a lifestyle that they believe to be immoral and destructive.
— Justice Scalia, in his dissent
Two reactions:
We’re living in the Castro in San Francisco while renovations on our house are completed. As anyone who has driven through this neighborhood knows, at Market and Castro there is a huge Gay Pride flag that flies every day of the year. Huge — maybe the largest flag I have ever seen.
I was out of town on the day of the decision. But I am told that the day after Lawrence was decided, the Gay Pride flag came down. An American flag was raised in its place.
It was an extraordinary moment that said more about the importance of this decision than any commentary ever could.
— Professor Lawrence Lessig, on his site at Stanford Law School
“I absolutely do, of course I do.”
— Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., when asked whether he supported a Constitutional amendment that would ban any marriage in the United States except a union of a man and a woman