Bill to repeal Md. sodomy law to take effect without guv’s signature

aryland ov. Wes oore on riday announced he will allow a bill that repeals the state s nnatural or erverted Se ual ractices ct to become law without his signature. State Dels. David Moon (D-Montgomery County) and uke Clippinger D-Baltimore City introduced ouse Bill . State Sen. Clarence am D-Baltimore and oward Counties) put forth an identical measure in the Maryland Senate.

he eneral ssembly in repealed the law s sodomy” provision.

I m pleased that this bill has now become law, and this is a real and hard-fought win for the B community. This was a long-overdue update to the existing law to remove an outdated provision, am told the Washington Blade in a statement. While we had wanted to remove this provision from the law years ago when sodomy was struck from the statute, opponents fought to keep this with reassurance that it would unlikely ever be used to criminally charge individuals. nd ust the very ne t year, the arford County sheriff s office used this part of the statute to arrest individuals at a private business.” oore, a Democrat, earlier this month signed the rans ealth E uity ct, which re uires aryland s edicaid program to cover gender-affirming treatment.

It is unfortunate that it took so long to correct this in the law, but I m glad to see that this misguided part of the statute is now finally gone, added am. I appreciate the sustained efforts and patience of all of the advocates who saw this bill through final passage. Even though it took a while, this win is something the B community should be proud of and find reassuring.

FROM STAFF REPORTS