Don't get caught having oral or anal sex for money in Louisiana, boy howdy. If convicted, you may be forced to register as a sex offender. It's called a “crime against nature by solicitation” law, and 40 percent of the people on Louisiana's sex offender registry were convicted of only this crime.
A group of LGBT folks who've been convicted have filed a lawsuit. The suit was filed anonymously via the Center for Constitutional Rights, and names several Louisiana state officials, including Gov. Bobby Jindal and Attorney General Buddy Caldwell. Alexis Agathocleous, an attorney with the Center, called the distinction “archaic and discriminatory,” and said it's rooted in homophobia.
The suit talks about the ways gay prostitutes are being affected because of the C.A.N. law. They're having trouble finding jobs and housing. Some of them are being turned away when seeking treatment for drug abuse, or domestic violence counseling.
In the last session, the state legislature changed the C.A.N. law so that the first offense is a misdemeanor, and the second offense requires registration on the state's sex offender registry, but even that's a little ridiculous. If you ask us, that list should be saved for convicted rapists and pedophiles, and not those selling blow jobs and butt sex to make ends meet.
A group of LGBT folks who've been convicted have filed a lawsuit. The suit was filed anonymously via the Center for Constitutional Rights, and names several Louisiana state officials, including Gov. Bobby Jindal and Attorney General Buddy Caldwell. Alexis Agathocleous, an attorney with the Center, called the distinction “archaic and discriminatory,” and said it's rooted in homophobia.
The suit talks about the ways gay prostitutes are being affected because of the C.A.N. law. They're having trouble finding jobs and housing. Some of them are being turned away when seeking treatment for drug abuse, or domestic violence counseling.
In the last session, the state legislature changed the C.A.N. law so that the first offense is a misdemeanor, and the second offense requires registration on the state's sex offender registry, but even that's a little ridiculous. If you ask us, that list should be saved for convicted rapists and pedophiles, and not those selling blow jobs and butt sex to make ends meet.
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