text: what is sodomy? is it illegal?   sodomy is a term of religious origin to characterize certain sexual acts. most commonly used to describe the specific act of anal (rectal)sex between two males or between a male and a female.   the term sodomy derives from the name of the ancient city of sodom, which according to the bible was destroyed by god for its misdeeds (see sodom and gomorrah). in today's common language it identifies the practice of anal  (rectal)intercourse.  from the earliest times in the united states, sodomy (variously defined) was prohibited in the united states. in the 1950s, all states had some form of law criminalizing sodomy. in 2003, only 10 states had laws prohibiting all sodomy, with penalties ranging from 1 to 15 years imprisonment. additionally, four other states had laws that specifically prohibited same-sex sodomy. the united states supreme court, in lawrence v. texas, invalidated these laws as being an unconstitutional invasion of privacy  yahoo questions censors the word "anal", that's why i used "rectal" instead!