# Does the Mann Act apply to males?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-mann-act-apply-to-males/441159>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 12, 2008, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-mann-act-apply-to-males/441159 "2008-03-12T21:52:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-mann-act-apply-to-males/441159/1 "2008-03-12T21:52:22Z")

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Thank’s to Eliot Spitzer the Mann Act (aka the White-Slave Traffic Act) is in the news again. The act refers to transporting _women or girls_ repeatly. Does this mean that it’s _legal_ (under federal law) to transport men or boys ror immoral purposes? :eek:

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**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-mann-act-apply-to-males/441159/2 "2008-03-12T22:16:12Z")

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[No.](http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/White-Slave+Traffic+Act)

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> In 1986 the law was further amended. The new amendments made the entire act gender neutral as to victims of sexual exploitation. More important, all references to debauchery and any other immoral purpose were replaced by the phrase “any sexual activity for which any person can be charged with a criminal offense” (Pub. L. No. 99-628, 100 Stat. 3511–3512.) This change took the federal government out of the business of defining immoral.

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**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-mann-act-apply-to-males/441159/3 "2008-03-12T22:27:36Z")

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What he said:

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> Transportation generally
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> Whoever knowingly transports any individual in interstate or foreign commerce, or in any Territory or Possession of the United States, with intent that such individual engage in prostitution, or in any sexual activity for which any person can be charged with a criminal offense, or attempts to do so, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both.

[18 U.S.C. § 2421](http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode18/usc_sec_18_00002421----000-.html)

There are other statutes that target the forced, fraudulent or coerced trafficking or sex trafficking of persons and minors that carry significantly harsher penalties.

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**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-mann-act-apply-to-males/441159/4 "2008-03-12T22:45:42Z")

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For years after I first saw _Smokey and the Bandit_, I thought Sheriff Justice had said “that’s a man’s act” when describing all the things the Bandit was guilty of. It seemed an oddly complimentary way to describe a kidnapping. I think I was in high school before I figured it out.