Are there laws against public fornication in your town of residence? Is that legislating morality'?

[closeupready]

And if so, how is that different than, for example, blue laws or laws against men and women riding together in public transit?

[Lint Head]

1. There is no law against fornicating unless you do it in front of a minor.

Laws actually have very little to do with morality. Morality is a religious concept but can be equated with the law in the respect that common decency happens to be stated in most religious texts and concepts.

[closeupready]

3. There are certainly laws against it, but perhaps not where you live, is that what you mean?

Laws have a LOT to do with morality and religion. Many laws derive from religious precepts.

[Lint Head]

5. There are antiquated sodomy laws and civil laws against alienation of affection

but I've never heard of a law against people that are not married having sex with a lot of different people. I know there are laws against spitting on a sidewalk so maybe they're are fornication laws somewhere. As the old lawyer saying goes, "You can indict a ham sandwich. The problem comes when you attempt to convict".

[closeupready]

6. Well then what about that recent story about the nude model in Times Square?

The NYPD settled with the artist, apparently, and the artist agreed not to use the nude model except after dark.

What is the rational basis for that law? There is none. Legal proscriptions against public nudity are based in religious precepts, with some exceptions.

[kestrel91316]

2. I have no problem with laws regarding one's behavior in public.

Laws regarding sexual activity in private: now THAT'S legislating morality in a highly inappropriate way!

[closeupready]

4. Agreed on all points.

:hi:

[Xithras]

7. The laws generally don't prohibit the actual act of fornication in public

But simply criminalize the act of making non-consenting third parties witness your act. You have the right to fornicate wherever you want, but you don't have the right to make others watch.

In other words:

If you go to the nearest park, get wild with your partner, and get interrupted by a police officer halfway through, you're going to get in trouble simply because that officer (who is himself a member of the public) didn't consent to witness your sex. Actually, arrests would probably be at his discretion, as he would be the "victim" in that scenario.

On the other hand, if you go to the nearest park, get wild with your partner, and then confess your actions to that same cop in the parking lot on your way out, you are NOT going to get charged. Why not? Because your act was uninterrupted, with no witnesses and no victims. The mere fact that you merely had sex in the park isn't usually enough to bring charges.

Of course, the exact wording of these laws vary city by city, and state by state, but you get my gist. These laws aren't generally written to limit your own activity, but instead to prevent you from imposing those activities on others.

[HopeHoops]

8. Honestly I don't know - then again, we've never been caught at it.

[Aerows]

9. Thankfully, we haven't either :D n/t

[KittyWampus]

10. I'd think in the interest of sanitation and public health having sex in public places

would be at least a minor offense.