South Africa’s High Court ruled that the country’s common law crimes of sodomy and “unnatural sex offences” were unconstitutional. The case was brought before the Court by the National Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Equality (NCGLE) and the Human Rights Commission. Before the High Court’s ruling, sodomy between consenting adults could bring a maximum 10-year prison sentence.
A NCGLE press release stated, “The manner in which individuals choose naturally to share their most intimate expressions of affection will no longer be of interest to the law.”
