LGBT lawmakers call for ‘Sodmite Supression Act’ lawyer to be disbarred
Calls for the California lawyer to be disbarred after he filed a proposed law for all gays to be executed.
Lawyer Matthew Gregory McLaughlin of Orange County, filed his proposed law in February, calling for a state wide ballot. He intends to fight “the abominable crime against nature known as buggery” with harsh penalties for gay people and allies such as jail time, exile, fines of $1million and death by firing squad.
It reads: “Seeing that it is better that offenders should die rather than that all of us should be killed by God’s just wrath against us for the folly of tolerating-wickedness in our midst, the People of California wisely command, in the fear of God, that any person who willingly touches another person of the same gender for purposes of sexual gratification be put to death by bullets to the head or by any other convenient method.”
California’s LGBT Caucus, a group of lawmakers from across the state legislature, have called for Mr McLaughlin to be disbarred on the grounds that he is violating the requirement for lawyers to act in “good moral character”.
In a statement, they said: “We are shocked and outraged that a member of the State Bar would so callously call for the disenfranchisement, expulsion and murder of members of the LGBT community. We believe that this measure not only fails constitutional muster, but that such inciting and hateful language has no place in our discourse, let alone state constitution.
“It is an outrage that shadows all of the progress we have made to ensure that all Californians are afforded the same rights and protections under the law.
“As members of the California State Legislature and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Caucus, we have spent most of our personal and professional lives combating bigotry wherever it lies. While we believe that this measure may not qualify for the statewide ballot, we cannot in good conscience stand idly by.
“We call upon the State Bar of California to fully investigate Mr. McLaughlin’s provocative and potentially unethical actions and to mete out appropriate corrective action.”
The Attorney General will decide whether the law should go to the public vote, but it is unlikely to gain support in the largely LGBT-friendly state.
