Monday, December 12, 2011

Sodomites Need Not Apply

As a social work professional, I’m on an array of mailing lists, and, as such, I frequently get job announcements in my email inbox.  Today, I received a posting for a part-time job with the school system; basically, a teacher’s aide position.

Under the “special requirements” section of the posting, I happened to read the following (emphasis mine):

“In addition, the person should be of sobriety and integrity, and orderly and law abiding citizen and inasmuch as they will be working with minors, individuals who have offenses of sodomy or other similar or related offenses or incidents with minors will not be considered for employment.”

Offenses of sodomy?  Really? 

I assume the intent of this “special requirement” is to make it clear that sexual predators and registered sex offenders will not be hired for the position.  But that’s not exactly how it reads, now is it? 

Under Chapter 510 of the Kentucky Revised Statutes, there are five categories of sexual offenses:  rape, sodomy, sexual abuse, sexual misconduct, and indecent exposure.  If the intent of the job posting is simply to deter sex offenders, why highlight sodomy as the offense? 

Remember, sodomy refers to anal and oral sex (and in some cases bestiality), not just gay sex.  Historically, though, sodomy laws have primarily been used to punish those of us who engage in same-sex sexual activity, not to punish all of the ass-fucking and dick-sucking that you straight folks engage in.  And that’s why the word “sodomy” always rubs me the wrong way; it’s this lingering cultural artifact that tells me who I am is unnatural, deviant, and immoral. 

I’m going to have to go home and sodomize the-woman-the-state-won’t-let-me-marry just to take my mind off of this.

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