Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 26, 2003
Contact:  Roger Nyhus, Governor’s Communications Office, 360-902-4136;
Alt Contact:  Jamie Pedersen, Lambda Legal, 206-370-7987

Gov. Gary Locke Statement Regarding Historic U.S. Supreme Court Decision on Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights

Gov. Gary Locke today issued the following statement on the historic U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down all existing state sodomy laws:

“Today’s victory is a great beginning. With this decision, an era of injustice ends. And a new era for gay people in this country begins. An era of respect and acceptance that is long, long overdue.

“I am proud to say that Washington realized the injustice of its own sodomy statutes and repealed them more than 25 years ago.

“Civil rights are not conditioned or qualified or subjectively available only to a chosen few. They belong to us all. And a threat to the civil rights of any American is a threat to the civil rights of every American.

“A victory for the civil rights of any American is a victory for all Americans. We are all winners tonight, and we are proud to be Americans.”

This morning, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark 6-3 decision striking down the Texas sodomy law and all other existing sodomy laws as an unconstitutional violation of the right to privacy of gay men and lesbians. This is perhaps the most significant gay and lesbian civil rights victory in U.S. history.

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Related links: www.governor.wa.gov; www.lambdalegal.org

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