Ticketed for Kissing

... "I went up to the police officer to tell him what was going on and he didn't want to hear my side," de Leon said. "He wanted to hear the security guard's side first."

The officer informed the group it was illegal for two men or two women to kiss in public, de Leon said. The five were told they could be cited for homosexual conduct - a charge the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional in 2003 in Lawrence v. Texas. That same year, the city of El Paso passed an ordinance
banning discrimination based on sexual orientation by employees of the city and by businesses open to the public.

El Paso Police Detective Carlos Carrillo said a more appropriate charge would probably be criminal trespass....

so is it illegal to kiss or not?

 

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Sounds like an officer had a personal problem. But that law is stupid. What if you want to kiss your grandmother or something?

 

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We would need to see what the law states where they live before we can say if it is legal or not.

 

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I believe almost all of Texas' anti-homosexuality laws were ruled unconstitutional, and state laws can't violate or conflict with national ones right? So it should be legal everywhere in the US. The police would just have to find another reason to ticket them, like they always do. Those crafty devils.

 

Thread title is misleading. They aren't just kissing, they're homosexuals kissing. Texas is a very conservative state, not here particularly but I'd imagine over in El Paso it is.

 

There is an upside here

The upshot is that the cops didn't put anyone in a coma this time, and then accuse the unconscious person of sexual assault. Kudos to the El Paso cops for being mundane idiot bigots instead of violent idiot bigots.

Nonetheless, the cops should be brought up on federal civil rights charges.

• • •​

Then Texas should go ahead and secede. I'm sick of the idea that just because it's Texas, they're somehow exempt from the United States Constitution.

What's next? Threaten teenagers because it offends conservative Christians? Threaten old people because it offends teenagers?

Oooh. They're homosexuals.

So much for your new found libertarianism, eh?

 

They should be allowed to kiss.......on their own property. I'm not saying otherwise. But the current state of things is that it's illegal and they broke the law apparantly.

And don't speak to me about the consitutuion; you advocate theft. So before you talk to me about the constitution, get it together.

 

By the current state of things it is illegal to make homosexual kissing illegal unless you make all kissing illegal.

What the hell does that mean?

 

Not on private property. You know, private property would solve all of these silly problems, because people could just live and let live and respect each others' jurisdictions over their own property

Taxation and the gov't telling the individual how to live is unconstitutional

 

They are kissing and you are getting hot and bothered?

Montrose in Houston is one of the largest Gay communities in the country. Didn't Broke Bake Mountain clue you in about cowboys?

 

Is kissing in public illegal in Texas?

 

(Insert Title Here)

And you have that right on private property that stays private. That is, you can forbid homosexual expression in your own home if you're so inclined.

However, when you open that private property to the public—especially in pursuit of profit—the situation becomes a bit more muddled.

Which taxation, specifically, is unconstitutional?

 

the court ruling of Lawrence vs. Texas in 2003 must be overruled.

 

I think they would of gone with "Causing a public disturbance" since people were complaining.

Incidentally in the UK a couple can have sex on the beach, as long as they aren't making a public spectical of it (Namely no-one see's them doing it)

 

I'm not bothered. I couldn't care less. But apparantly some people are, and as you believe in the power of the "majority", the "majority" here are mostly conservative.

As Stryder said, I think it's more of a public disturbance. I've seen people kiss plenty of times. Although I live in Houston, which is more diverse than El Paso.

Yes

It's still private, though; because you can close it anytime. It's yours, and you have full jurisdiction over it. As much as I don't support discrimination, I fundamentally disagree with anti-discrimination laws specifically because they violate individual sovereignty. How can one claim to be for the individual when they forcibly violate the individual? Freedom means freedom to be a dick, too.

All of it. Although we could argue that some level of gov't is desirable, I highly doubt the founding fathers desired a welfare super-state like the one we have now.

 

Thread title is not misleading.

Then you shouldn't be allowed off your property.

 

“ Originally Posted by CutsieMarie89
Is kissing in public illegal in Texas? ”

In the USA a couple can have sex on the beach if no 1 sees them doing it.

 

I'd settle for Texas Bob seceding from Sciforums.

 

That's not what Stryder said.


“ However, when you open that private property to the public—especially in pursuit of profit—the situation becomes a bit more muddled. ”

No. You don't. It's governed by laws.

Freedom doesn't mean everyone has the right to do anything they want. Most people's "freedom" would then conflict with others' "freedom".
With freedom comes responsibility.

I highly doubt the founding fathers desired any system you advocate.