Abstract

Sodomy laws reinforce the moral standards of those cultures that find homosexuals to be sexual deviants.  Bowers v. Hardwick was a challenge, however unsuccessful, to Georgias sodomy law.  While the 1986 United States Supreme Court concluded that homosexual activity is not a fundamental right protected under the Constitution, the Courts decision became the impetus needed to make more Americans tolerant of homosexuals.  Bowers led to Lawrence v. Texas, which, in 2003, struck down sodomy statutes, and in turn paved the way for other gay rights goals to follow.