One would have expected the sexual revolution and women's liberation movement to have stripped legislative codes of sexist laws and sex laws.
Not so.
Clinging onto days past (though some would say days present), some states have continued to enshrine ridiculously dumb laws that restrict sexual activities and punish men for a woman's choice. Or stupidity. Whichever.
Here are some of the best dumb laws around. And yes, it's appropriate for work.
Kissing is nothing these days. In fact, some people consider it to be a handshake. But that doesn't mean you can (or should) run around making out in public. Especially if you have a mustache.
At one point, both Iowa and Eureka, California actively banned mustachioed men from kissing their ladies. And in Hartford, Connecticut? It's inappropriate to peck your wife on Sunday. And for those of you in Wisconsin? No kissing on the train. It's offensive.
Some dumb laws are meant to protect dumb women. In Michigan, it is still a felony to "seduce and debauch" an unmarried woman. And Mississippi still outlaws the seduction of a virgin via a false marriage proposal. Both crimes carry a maximum sentence of five years.
Some states are just not concerned with kissing or seduction. No, they're concerned with oral sex.
A dozen or so states still outlaw engagement in oral sex despite the fact that the Supreme Court has stricken down a law that bars anal sex. Sure, you can't actually be punished under these dumb laws, but the fact that they still exist is pretty outlandish.
But hey, what do you expect? It's the United States.
Related Resources:
- Lawrence v. Texas (FindLaw)
- Dumb Laws: Dumbest Laws Involving Animals (FindLaw's Legal Grounds)
- Legally Weird: Strange Local Laws Archives (FindLaw's Legally Weird)
