The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada wants a federal court to declare unconstitutional a state law that criminalizes consensual sex between same-sex teenagers as "crimes against nature" carrying a possible five-year prison sentence.
ACLU legal chief Staci Pratt said Wednesday the civil rights lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Reno on behalf of a "John Doe" plaintiff.
The lawsuit seeks class-action status and names Elko County and District Attorney Mark Torvinen as defendants.
The teen was arrested last year in Elko County on juvenile felony allegations that he violated a narrow provision of state law applying only to relationships between same-sex people from 16 to 18 years old.
The teen later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct, but Pratt says the law is still on the books.
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