If the United States is a country that truly believes in not establishing a national religion or the free practice thereof, it shouldn't attempt to make and enforce some laws dictating morality.

Thankfully, one such law was struck down by the Supreme Court on Thursday. Justices voted 6-3 in Lawrence v. Texas that anti-sodomy laws are an unconstitutional privacy violation.

This decision is a major victory for homosexuals everywhere and a major victory for civil rights itself. It's not the government's business to legislate what people do behind closed doors in the privacy in their own home.

Sodomy, loosely defined, means any sexual act which deviates from normal intercourse. Some critics of this definition say it allows people to commit such acts almost everyone finds to be obscene.

But in any case, the government shouldn't step in unless someone's well-being is threatened against their will. If two people wish to engage in a consensual act, it's their business, not the government's.

Soon, members of the lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender community are going to get the equal rights they deserve.

It's a shame this decision came when it did. To the north, Canadians are on the brink of nationally legalizing gay marriages. It seems the United States is behind in granting gays and lesbians civil rights.

At least that's what some people think. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia wrote a harsh dissent, saying the decision "effectively decrees the end of all morals legislation." He also said the legalizing of same-sex marriages was a possible next step. But Scalia that is a bad thing.

Morals can be a shaky subject, and they're different for everyone. Laws should be enacted for the betterment of society, not to infringe on constitutional rights like privacy and freedom of expression.

It wasn't just the law from Texas that was struck down. Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri had very similar laws which made sodomy illegal only for homosexuals. Nine other states had sodomy laws applying to everyone. Michigan doesn't have a specific sodomy law, but all those laws were made invalid in the Lawrence v. Texas decision.

Our society is more mature than to be homophobic. It's natural to be afraid of things we don't understand and try to control those things. We did it with women who were thought to occupy subservient positions in society. We did it with blacks since the time of the 13 Colonies. We have osterisized homosexuals from our society throughout U.S. history.

The Supreme Court ruling isn't just about sodomy, but about each American's right to privacy, and, more importantly, the government staying out of decisions made by consensual adults.

If ever our society is to be truly equal, people must stand behind this decision and foster the rights of every American.