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Monday, September 5, 2016

High school jocks' homoerotic hazing not charged as a sex crime

Photo of Oregon sodomy laws circa 1951 in the book by Donald Webster Cory, 'The Homosexual in America,' Greenberg, 1951, p. 289

PHOTO: One of the former Oregon laws against homosexual sex was "OREGON 23-910. Sodomy" that stipulated: "If any person shall commit sodomy or the crime against nature, or any act or practice of sexual perversity, either with mankind or beast, or sustain osculatory relations with the private parts of any man, woman or child, or permit such relations to be sustained with his or her private parts, such person shall upon conviction thereof, be punished by imprisonment in the penitentiary not less than one year nor more than fifteen years." (Aas quoted in the famous book by Donald Webster Cory, "The Homosexual in America," Greenberg, 1951, Appendix B, p. 289. This is book is frequently recalled in reminiscences by gay people who came of age in the 1950s.) See previous posts Oregon blue laws circa 1950 (9/7/06 and Oregon sodomy law invoked in sugar daddy lover spat (11/23/14)

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My local professional daily newspaper and several local TV channels' newscasts recently reported the story "Coach, six Philomath football players, cited in 'aggravated hazing' case at football camp," gazettetimes.com posted Aug. 30, 2016. My local newspaper also ran the related story by Jim Day, "Anti-bullying policies required by state law," gazettetimes.com posted Aug. 30, 2016.

I was surprised that the Philomath football players were charged with only Class A or Class B misdemeanors, instead of being charged with sexual assault or some other sex crime, given they are accused of "contact with the anus or anal area (or) aggressive contact with the testicles," according to the Benton County District Attorney John Haroldson, as quoted in the Gazette-Times Aug. 31.

Oregon's Legislators revised the State's blue laws in the 1970's to legalize consenting sex between adults, but they carefully left in place laws against all forms of nonconsensual sex, especially when minors are involved.

In my experience, most people will, at first, deny that this type of behavior is homoerotic in nature and claim it is "normal guy locker room humor," but they will see it as being homosexual after viewing the type of videos that are commonly shown in downtown San Francisco gay bars and sex clubs, which feature naked guys in gym locker rooms and scenes of dominance and submission of Freshman plebes' initiations to the team.

Sadly, largely due to Americans' homophobia and sexual prudishness, high school coaches are forbidden from educating students by showing them these videos, as a method to prevent future sexual assaults.