Sodomy

The term comes from the Ecclesiastical Latin: pecatum Sodomiticum, or "sin of Sodom".^[2] The expression has biblical origin and was used to characterize sexual acts that were attributed to citizens of ancient Sodom and Gomorrah.

The term includes all sexual acts other than coital sex between a male and female.^[2] Although not gender specific by definition, in common use sodomy generally refers to homosexual intercourse between males.

In its widest definition "sodomy" refers to anal penetration, oral sex, masturbation and paraphilia. The term is also sometimes used to describe human-animal sexual intercourse (also known as bestiality or zoophilia);^[2] this is the primary meaning of the cognate German language word Sodomie.

In current usage, the term is particularly used in law.^[3] Sodomy laws forbidding certain types of sex acts have been instituted in many cultures. In the various criminal codes of United States of America, the term "sodomy" has generally been replaced by "Deviant sexual intercourse", which is precisely defined by statute.^[4] These laws have been under challenge and have in places been found unconstitutional or have been replaced with different acts.^[5] Some countries, particularly in Africa, the Middle East and southern Asia retain "sodomy laws" against homosexual acts. Elsewhere the legal use of the term "sodomy" is restricted to rape cases where an act such as anal penetration has taken place.^[6] The English term buggery is very closely related to sodomy in concept, and often interchangeably used in law and popular speech.^[7][8]