[Trigger warning: Well, sort of. I shall allude to sexual assault and animal abuse in this post, but will also generally discuss things that some people might find inappropriate in polite company.]

Whatever feelings you have about this picture, please keep them to yourself.

Alabama’s state senate took a bold stand against bestiality last month, passing a bill that would make it illegal.

Wait, it wasn’t already illegal?

Nope. And it’s not in Texas, either—at least not expressly so.

Only 14 U.S. states and the District of Columbia have statutes specifically prohibiting sexual contact with animals. I’m of two minds on this, really. On the one hand, I am all for protecting animals, who, as far as any of us know, cannot consent to sexual activity with a human. On the other hand, do we actually need another law?

One state where it is expressly illegal is Louisiana, where a man was arrested last summer for alleged sex with livestock. He has been charged with four counts of “crime against nature.” I do not like the sound of that statute. Continue reading →