The past sure can leave a mark.
Despite the fact that the 2003 Supreme Court case Lawrence v. Texas struck down federalist sodomy laws, North Carolina police this weekend charged two gay men with “crimes against nature.” And, as if that’s not bad enough, an alleged victim got snagged himself:
Police first arrested and charged Nelson Keith Sloan, 40, who called them to the private residence to report an attack. Later, police arrested and charged Ryan Christopher Flynn, 25, with the same charge.
Flynn was also charged with simple assault for biting Sloan and communicating threats for telling Sloan he was going to disembowel him.
“This looks like a case of a consensual act that may have gotten out of hand,” Raleigh police Capt. T.D. Hardy told the daily newspaper. “The law is still on the books. Our detectives got involved in it last night and decided this was the best thing to do. What the D.A.’s office will do with it, I don’t know.”
Sloan insists that he was the victim of an assault. “I didn’t allow anything,” he told The News and Observer Saturday. “They knew it and turned it around and arrested me. I have never been so humiliated in all my life. It’s just awful.”
And, from the sound of it, cops think Sloan’s awful, too!
noah
Aren’t you being a little too glib in what appears to be a case of rape?! Christopher Flynn insists that he was assaulted. Shouldn’t you be more respectful of him until more facts are revealed either way?
Usually, the press is more guarded in their comments about alleged victims of sex crimes (unless you’re a sleazy, evil site like TMZ that names 14-year-old victims).
noah
My apologies, I should have said that Sloan was the victim of rape.
Charley
The ridiculous charge “crime against nature” is obsolete and straight out of 16th century biblical based law books . The charge should be simple assault.
q
didnt the supreme court in lawrence v. texas rule that sodomy isnt illegal?
http://www.queersunited.blogspot.com
Jaroslaw
The legal system exists in very large measure to promote the welfare of the legal system. What will happen is that this case, if pursued by the prosecutor/state or however they do it down there will be appealed, and bumped up to the next level and appealed and eventually the defendant will win precisely because of the Supreme court ruling in 2003. However, in the meantime, said defendant will be mentally, physically and financially exhausted. I’m not a lawyer, but unless the guy can sue for damages against the prosecuting authority, I think winning an appeal is as far as it goes.
Here in Michigan for example, you can sue in small claims court if someone owes you money. You can even get a judgement in your favor. But if there is no REMEDY prescribed by law, you’ll never see the money.
Tom
While I find it repugnant that law enforcement would arrest a man for having consensual sex with another man, this story can be used as a very good example to show the hypocrisy and racial bigotry which exist in some segments of the gay community.
A few weeks back, a gay American was detained in the Cayman Islands for kissing his boyfriend in public. Apparently, Cayman has some archaic law about public displays of affection. The responses on this site were quite stunning in their attack on the culture and people of the Cayman. There were calls for a boycott of Cayman, there were calls for people to contact the British government and demand change. People called them “apes” , “backward” , and “black Christian homophobes.” I think one comment even suggested the U.S. invade.
Now we have it in our own backyard where a gay man was arrested for having gay sex in the privacy of his own home. Clearly, being arrested for private consensual sex is more intrusive than someone cited for kissing in public. Yet, there is not one peep on here from people saying boycott North Carolina. No calls for people to contact the US government to demand change. And there are certainly no attacks on the entire people or culture of North Carolina as being backward or homophobic.
Why is that?
What is it in the psychology of people that they can think it perfectly legitimate to call the British government to complain about Cayman? The Cayman people are not children who need to be reported to their parents by calling the British. That very thought is paternalistic, chauvinistic, and arrogant.
I have never been to the Caymans and doubt I will ever go, but I find it disturbing that gays (of all people) would display such sweeping generalizations, stereotyping, and condescending attitudes toward an entire country of people. The hostility and disrespect shown toward the Cayman people and the absence of a mutual vehemence against North Carolinians leads this writer to conclude that anti-black bigotry was the deciding factor.
Of course those same hypocrites, will now attack me and claim that I am playing the “race card” when in fact, the race card was already played when the entire island and people of Cayman were condemned for the actions of the police in enforcing an archaic, discriminatory law.
hell's kitchen guy
^^^ maybe people aren’t calling fo r a “boycott of North Carolina” (how does one boycott a whole state, BTW?) because this story is sketchy, there appear to be two sides, and all the facts aren’t in?
but hey, if you want to jump around like a hyena, go for it.
Tom
HKG, have a little guilt on your conscience you are trying to shake loose? I don’t think calling me a hyena will do it, but go ahead if it makes you feel better. I never try to stand in the way of fools.
The point you obviously missed is that the police arrested a man for having consensual gay sex and the police captain said “The law is still on the books.” Those are all the facts we as gay people need to know…they will arrest your gay ass in North Carolina if you get caught f**king your lover.
BTW, you boycott the same way you boycott anything…you don’t go there, you don’t buy products from there, and you gain as much media attention about the boycott as possible. I surprised you of all people need a lesson on this subject.
Brittany
Hello!!
This is NOT a case of consenting adults, this is a casse where it is publicly being said that a man who was RAPED is guilty of a crime. Even the most severe homophobe in the world should be outraged that a man is raped and then arrested for being forced into sex.