October 1
1783 — The last execution for sodomy in France occurs—a friar is broken on the wheel.
1864 — Arkansas revises its sodomy law to mandate the death penalty for all persons.
1945 — The Colorado Supreme Court overturns a sodomy conviction. Two sailors were accused of robbing the man tried for sodomy with them, but were acquitted. Their robbery trial was mentioned in the other trial, and this was considered prejudicial.
1956 — The Second Circuit Court of Appeals upholds the deportation of a Gay alien for exposing himself in a restroom. The concurring opinion of Judge Jerome Frank limits his support for the deportation to the alien’s lying about a previous conviction. Frank embarks on a remarkable opinion raising questions about why homosexuality seems to bother people so much.
New laws take effect repealing consensual sodomy laws in Connecticut (1971) and Indiana (1977).
1973 — The Maine Supreme Court overturns a sodomy conviction because the penis had been touched, but not swallowed.
1981 — Under intense pressure from Moral Majority and other right-wing groups, the U.S. House of Representatives vetoes the new sex offenses law passed by the District of Columbia council, which includes repeal of the sodomy law. This is the first time that a District law that does not violate federal supremacy is vetoed.
1985 — An Indiana appellate court rules that an enclosed booth in a video arcade is a "public place" for purposes of sex.
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