Current Version
| Region | Ohio |
| Issue | Homosexual activity |
| Status | Male illegal, female legal |
| Start Date | May 4, 1886 |
| End Date | Oct 23, 1961 |
| Description | In 1886, in the case of Foster et al. v. State, the Court ruled that for "when the act charged is copulation against nature, that at least one of the parties to it must be a male person." Therefore, sex between women became legal. In 1906, this exemption for lesbians became further explicit when a text on Ohio law which discussed how sodomy was viewed in Ohio courts did not include that two women were capable of committing the crime. In 1945, the Ohio legislature amended the sodomy law to establish that the minimum sentence to a conviction of sodomy was one year. The maximum sentence of 20 years was not changed. |
| Sources | https://www.glapn.org/sodomylaws/sensibilities/ohio.htm |
Revision History (1)
created by Unknownmiles
Helpful?
0 | Original entry | |
|---|---|
| Status | Male illegal, female legal |
| Start Date | May 4, 1886 |
| End Date | Oct 23, 1961 |
| Description | In 1886, in the case of Foster et al. v. State, the Court ruled that for "when the act charged is copulation against nature, that at least one of the parties to it must be a male person." Therefore, sex between women became legal. In 1906, this exemption for lesbians became further explicit when a text on Ohio law which discussed how sodomy was viewed in Ohio courts did not include that two women were capable of committing the crime. In 1945, the Ohio legislature amended the sodomy law to establish that the minimum sentence to a conviction of sodomy was one year. The maximum sentence of 20 years was not changed. |
| Sources | https://www.glapn.org/sodomylaws/sensibilities/ohio.htm |