Montana Senate Votes To Strike Down Obsolete Law Criminalizing Homosexual Relations

The Billings Gazette reports that the Montana Senate has voted to remove an obsolete law that criminalized homosexual relations. The state Supreme Court struck down the law in 1997, but Senate Bill 276 would remove the language from state code. The Senate endorsed the bill Wednesday 41-9. Democratic Sen. Christine Kaufmann argued in support of the measure, saying the law has criminalized people like her. Predictably, opponents say the proposal may go beyond what the Supreme Court has ruled on the issue. Removal of the law is a popular cause among gay rights advocates. As previously posted, the Montana Republicans’ official party platform supports making homosexual acts illegal again, but Wednesday most Senate Republicans voted for the bill. The measure has one more vote before it goes to the House; that vote usually a matter of procedure.