Sodomy

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was accused of sodomizing his male aide, sparking speculation today that he might be arrested on the same charge that led to his imprisonment a decade ago in one of Malaysia's biggest political upheavals. Anwar, who resurrected his political career after leading the opposition to spectacular gains in recent elections, denied the allegation, which was made in a police complaint filed by the 23-year-old aide.

FT. BRAGG, N.C. - Army Brig. Gen. Jeffrey A. Sinclair, wearing a dress uniform and jump boots, has been a solemn, solitary figure at the defense table. He has not spoken during his proceedings on sexual misconduct charges except to answer procedural questions from military judges. But as the general prepares for a court-martial, Sinclair's supporters have spoken up online. In a website subtitled "The Truth Behind the Case," they defend Sinclair, accusing the Army of trumping up charges against a one-star general with five deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Malaysia's Court of Appeals rejected an appeal by jailed former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim against his conviction and nine-year prison sentence for sodomy. The ruling upheld a verdict of nearly three years ago that Anwar was guilty of sodomizing his wife's former driver. Sodomy is a crime in this predominantly Muslim Southeast Asian country. Anwar is expected to appeal again with the Federal Court, Malaysia's highest court.

An Army general who was sent home early from Afghanistan in May has been charged with forcible sodomy, wrongful sexual conduct and other crimes in an alleged sex scandal involving female subordinates. Brig. Gen. Jeffrey A. Sinclair, who was deputy commander of the 82ndAirborne Division in Afghanistan, was also charged with illegally possessing alcohol and pornography while deployed, mistreating subordinates and abusing a government travel charge card. The Army announced the charges late Wednesday at Ft. Bragg, N.C., home of the 82ndAirborne.

An appeals court in New Orleans has thrown out a 194-year-old Louisiana law against sodomy, saying that consensual oral and anal sex is protected by the right to privacy in the state constitution. The state court issued the 3-0 ruling Tuesday, reversing the 1996 conviction of Mitchell E. Smith, who had been accused of raping a woman but found guilty under the state's "crimes against nature" statute only of having her perform oral sex.

A judge in Little Rock threw out Arkansas' anti-sodomy law, saying it unfairly singles out homosexuals for prosecution. No one has been prosecuted under the 1977 law, but seven homosexuals brought a lawsuit challenging the law, saying they feared being charged and convicted and losing their jobs or professional licenses.

When Roger Nance got mad at two male acquaintances, he also got mean, calling the Harris County sheriff with the false report of a crazed gunman in one of the ex-friends' apartment. As Nance likely guessed, the only thing deputies found were 55-year-old John Lawrence and 31-year-old Tyrone Garner, having sex. What Nance probably never imagined, though, was that the two actually would get arrested.

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court took up a potential landmark case for the gay-rights movement Monday, agreeing to decide whether the Constitution permits states to enforce anti-sodomy laws exclusively against same-sex couples. Until now, the high court has been wary of saying that discrimination against gays and lesbians violates the 14th Amendment's guarantee of "equal protection of the laws."

The Supreme Court's decision Thursday to strike down Texas' criminal sodomy law electrified both sides in what Justice Antonin Scalia called "the culture war," with advocates for gay civil rights and religious fundamentalism agreeing that the ruling was a watershed that could ultimately knock down barriers to same-sex marriage.

In a rare case of an active-duty general charged with criminal offenses, a brigadier general at Ft. Bragg, N.C., is scheduled to face a court-martial Tuesday on charges of forcible sodomy, sexual misconduct and compelling female officers to perform sex acts. Brig. Gen. Jeffrey A. Sinclair, a veteran of five tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, is accused of conducting improper sexual relationships with subordinate female officers and a civilian. Prosecutors say he forced a female captain to engage in sex and threatened to kill the officer and her family if she told anyone.

The coverage is exhaustive, the politics bare-knuckle, the details lurid, all played out in a majority Muslim country. Malaysia's sodomy trial 2.0, in which the government is accusing opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim of engaging in a homosexual act with a 25-year-old former aide, has pushed media sensationalism here to new heights. Sodomy, even consensual, is a crime in Malaysia under laws dating to British colonial rule. And the case, some analysts say, has desensitized the public to a once-taboo topic, especially the younger generation, in a society that has long prided itself on modesty and conservative values.

Three suspects in the alleged gang rape of a lesbian woman in Richmond pleaded not guilty Thursday and were likely to remain jailed until a judge decides whether there's enough evidence to put them on trial. Lawyers for Humberto Hernandez Salvador, 31, Josue Gonzalez, 21, and Darrell Hodges, 16, entered the pleas to charges that included kidnapping, carjacking, gang rape and sodomy in the Dec. 13 attack.

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was charged today with sodomizing his male aide. Anwar pleaded innocent in Kuala Lumpur to the charge, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Anwar has claimed the allegation was concocted by the government to destroy his political career and prevent him from returning to Parliament in a by-election later this month. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has rejected Anwar's claim. Riot police backed by trucks mounted with water cannons surrounded the courthouse.

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was accused of sodomizing his male aide, sparking speculation today that he might be arrested on the same charge that led to his imprisonment a decade ago in one of Malaysia's biggest political upheavals. Anwar, who resurrected his political career after leading the opposition to spectacular gains in recent elections, denied the allegation, which was made in a police complaint filed by the 23-year-old aide.

A former Navy chaplain plans to plead guilty to allegations that include forcible sodomy and failing to tell a sex partner he was HIV-positive, his lawyer said Wednesday. Lt. Cmdr. John Thomas Matthew Lee was to enter the plea today at his court-martial at Marine Corps Base Quantico in northern Virginia, said his attorney, David Sheldon. Lee, 42, plans to plead guilty to forcible sodomy, aggravated assault and other charges, Sheldon said.

Hong Kong's top court rejected a ban on public gay sodomy, which had been punishable by as much as five years in prison. The case stemmed from the prosecution of two men who acknowledged having sex in a car parked on an isolated road at night, the ruling said. A panel of five top judges unanimously dismissed the appeal of a lower-court decision. Chief Justice Andrew Li said in the ruling that the law targets homosexuals and "does not criminalize heterosexuals for the same or comparable conduct."

As the Supreme Court hears arguments over gay marriage, the debate over the rights of couples of the same sex has also reverberated around the globe. Wedding bells are still a distant dream for gays and lesbians in many countries, especially in Africa and the Middle East, where couples of the same sex often face persecution and arrest. In the Sudan, for instance, sodomy--a catchall category that encompasses gay and lesbian sex--is punishable by death after multiple offenses. Saudi Arabia whips or sometimes stones to death people for the same crime, according to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association.

A judge struck down Hong Kong's sodomy laws, siding with a 20-year-old man who challenged the measures, including one that demanded a life sentence for gay sex when either partner was under 21. The laws prohibited sex between men under 21 but allowed the activity for heterosexual and lesbian couples 16 or older. William Roy Leung said his victory meant that "I can finally have a loving relationship without being scared of [being] thrown into jail for life."

In this national mecca of both homosexual activism and everyday in-your-face politics, the annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Parade on Sunday took on a decidedly militant bent following last week's U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down state anti-sodomy laws.