# Oral sex in South Carolina, and the truth behind other weird laws...
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oral-sex-in-south-carolina-and-the-truth-behind-other-weird-laws/361206
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 18, 2006, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oral-sex-in-south-carolina-and-the-truth-behind-other-weird-laws/361206 "2006-06-18T21:42:46Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@gitfiddle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gitfiddle)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2006, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oral-sex-in-south-carolina-and-the-truth-behind-other-weird-laws/361206/1 "2006-06-18T21:42:46Z")
I was thinking recently about the laws that people site from different states in the US, and realized I had just accepted them and never really known if it was true they were on the books. The first examples that come to mind is that people say oral sex and sex positions other than missionary are illegal in South Carolina.
Is that true?
There are hoards of other laws that people mention or that are written on posters (and, I’m sure, “factual” chain emails), can people name some of them and verify whether they’re true or false.
I’ve heard some pretty crazy laws, but I can’t remember what they are right now…
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### Author:  [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2006, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oral-sex-in-south-carolina-and-the-truth-behind-other-weird-laws/361206/2 "2006-06-18T21:56:30Z")
Try this [website](http://www.dumblaws.com) first. It has long lists, and in some cases it has the actual text of the law and the explanation for it.
I can give you one example of a brilliant law that did exist at one point; I’m not sure whether it’s been officially taken off the books or not. In Kentucky it is (or was) illegal to carry an ice cream cone in your back pocket. This law existed to combat horse theft; horses are a major industry in Kentucky. Apparently some of these thieves operated by putting an ice cream cone (or something else tasty) in their pocket and walking into a horse’s stall. The horse would start licking the ice cream, and it would follow the thief wherever he or she went.
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### Author:  [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2006, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oral-sex-in-south-carolina-and-the-truth-behind-other-weird-laws/361206/3 "2006-06-18T21:57:26Z")
The Supreme Court decision _Lawrence v Texas_ struck down “sodomy” (oral and anal sex) laws as a violation of the Constitution. I don’t recall whether South Carolina still had a sodomy law on the books at the time of the decision, but if it did it has been invalidated by that SCOTUS decision. I don’t know if SC banned non-missionary vaginal sex, but under the same legal reasoning as _Lawrence_, any such state law would also likely be invalid.
A lot of those laws are just extreme statements of otherwise non-sensational laws. One that I recall making the rounds was “it’s illegal in Michigan to tie an alligator to a parking meter!” Turns out it was illegal to tie any animal to a parking meter and the law was designed to stop people from tying their dogs to meters. But a law banning tying a dog to a meter isn’t kooky whereas one banning tying alligators up is.
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### Author:  [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2006, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oral-sex-in-south-carolina-and-the-truth-behind-other-weird-laws/361206/4 "2006-06-18T23:08:02Z")
It’s not clear if South Carolina’s (now judicially invalidated) law against “buggery” banned oral sex or not. From [Title 16, Chapter 15, of the South Carolina Code of Laws](http://www.scstatehouse.net/code/t16c015.htm):
> [@](#):
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> Whoever shall commit the abominable crime of buggery, whether with mankind or with beast, shall, on conviction, be guilty of felony and shall be imprisoned in the Penitentiary for five years or shall pay a fine of not less than five hundred dollars, or both, at the discretion of the court.
Just going by the [dictionary](http://www.bartleby.com/61/51/B0535100.html) [definition](http://www.bartleby.com/61/51/S0535100.html) of the term “buggery”, one would be inclined to say not, but it would really depend on the case law. The Georgia law against [sodomy](http://www.legis.state.ga.us/cgi-bin/gl_codes_detail.pl?code=16-6-2) clearly did outlaw oral sex (before it was struck down, first by the Georgia Supreme Court and later by the SCOTUS):
> [@](#):
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> A person commits the offense of sodomy when he or she performs or submits to any sexual act involving the sex organs of one person and the mouth or anus of another…A person convicted of the offense of sodomy shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than one nor more than 20 years.
> [@Otto](#):
>
> A lot of those laws are just extreme statements of otherwise non-sensational laws. One that I recall making the rounds was “it’s illegal in Michigan to tie an alligator to a parking meter!” Turns out it was illegal to tie any animal to a parking meter and the law was designed to stop people from tying their dogs to meters. But a law banning tying a dog to a meter isn’t kooky whereas one banning tying alligators up is.
Reminds me of [this bit](http://www.brunching.com/wackylaws.html) from the old Brunching Shuttlecocks site.
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### Author:  [@Georgie\_Boy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Georgie_Boy)
#### Post date: [July 21, 2013, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oral-sex-in-south-carolina-and-the-truth-behind-other-weird-laws/361206/5 "2013-07-21T22:16:52Z")
The other day I received a wonderful blowjob from a female cop (after duty) in South Carolina, which means that laws can be circumvented.
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [July 21, 2013, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oral-sex-in-south-carolina-and-the-truth-behind-other-weird-laws/361206/6 "2013-07-21T22:24:51Z")
Since this thread is old, and has been revived rather pointlessly, I’m going to close it.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator