Bestiality, animal husbands and Bullard. Oh my!

The act of bestiality is a step closer to becoming illegal in Florida now that a Senate committee voted to slap a third-degree felony charge on anyone who has sex with animals.

Florida is one of only 16 states that still permit bestiality -– a fact that animal-rights activist and Sunrise Sen. Nan Rich learned to her horror when a Panhandle man three years ago was suspected of accidentally asphyxiating a family goat with which he was copulating.

“There’s a tremendous correlation between sexually deviant behavior and crimes against children and crimes against animals,” said Rich, a Sunrise Democrat. “This is long overdue. These are heinous crimes. And people belong in jail.”

But the Mossy Head man suspected of assaulting Meg the Goat was never charged, because law enforcement officials could never link him to the crime scene. The suspect was arrested in a separate goat-abducting months later, said Walton County Assistant State Attorney Walter Parker.

Rich’s proposal was amended to target only those who derived or helped others derive “sexual gratification” from an animal. The amendment specified that conventional dog-judging contests and animal-husbandry practices are permissible.

That last provision tripped up Miami Democratic Sen. Larcenia Bullard.

“People are taking these animals as their husbands? What’s husbandry?” she asked. Some senators stifled their laughter as Chairman Charlie Dean explained that husbandry it was the rearing and caring of animals.

Bullard didn’t get it.

“So that maybe have been the reason the lady was so upset about that monkey?" Bullard asked, referring to a Connecticut case where a woman’s suburban chimpanzee want mad and was shot.

“I’m not familiar with that particular incident or case,” Dean said.

After the unanimous committee vote, Rich predicted the bill would pass easily this year. She said bestiality used to be illegal in Florida, but the statute was ruled unconstitutional because it was considered too broad.

Rich noted that bestiality cases have cropped up throughout the state, including the abuse of a seeing-eye dog in Tallahassee and a horse in the Florida Keys. The Mossy Head case gained added attention when a local man produced T-shirts with slogans like “Baaa Means No!” and “What Happens in Mossy Head, Stays in Mossy Head.”

“It’s interesting,” Rich said. “People either giggle or get very silent. A lot of people don’t believe something like this can happen. But it does.”

-- MARC CAPUTO

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Comments

The chaining of dogs 24/7 is a more prevalent crime against animals. It is sadistic and cruel.

I believe it's legal to open a brothel for the purpose of sex with animals.

one particular reporter sure has taken a keen interest in this subject ...

[Mary]

LMAO! Seriously, if this House Committee doesn't have more important issues at the moment, I can't see any purpose (porpoise;-) for their existence.

Of course this bill would have to pass through Larcenia Bullard's committee. One week in and she's already up to her old tricks. At this rate, 2009 may be the year she tops her famous "masturbation" speech from years prior.

I hope this passes. It's this kind of thing that the Legislature is actually good for.

Which mega-church does Nan Rich attend?

[Jen]

there are some sick %%$^#$ out there!

[Equine Are People, Too]

Where's the ACLU in the face of this horrible form of anti-horse discrimination?

[Kat]

Make it a law already, there are some ignorant people out there that still don't know that it is wrong to have sex with animals.....UGH! How disgusting!

I heard goat event was in Wakulla County and one of Sheriff Harvey's supporters.

[Kara]

Oh my Heavens,, I truly am amazed at what our elected officials view as priority.
People starving, losing their homes, no insurance and what is Florida worrying about? Having relations with a goat. I bet Rhonda Storm is having a field day!
Will we be the next Georgia and ban adult toys next?

At least it was a case of hetero cross-species coupling.
The "traditional values" crowd can take some solace in that.

My hot neighbor is married to an old goat.

[carroll]

It becomes more evident every day that our government is hopelessly and irreparably lost at all levels.

BTW, I know that GA is backwards in many many ways; however, the anti-sex-toy legislation is in Alabama, which is not surprising considering that I'm pretty sure they're still burning "witches" at the stake there.

[Jason A.]

@2:06 - That was friggin funny!!
It may be disgusting for people to have "relations" with animals, but at least they are taking themselves out of the gene pool! OMG I can hardly write that without hurling... Still, instead of adding another law and wasting time, just make it aggrivated animal abuse which is already a felony.

[aldyndskies]

Bullard probably would have mobsters arrested for forcing their victims to 'sleep with the fishes!'

Good Idea. Fl is already litterd with trash time we get more of these sick you know what's off the street!!

Like the artice says persons with this type of mental state will hurt a child.People like this are sick and need to be thrown on an island far away from society!!!

[JoJo Beans]

lol! are you kidding me?!?

[T. Hersem]

I saw this in person once on a trip to Ireland. One old goat servicing an entire herd of Ewes....couldn't figure out which one had the more contented look but all seemed happy enough. Are we sure this is really a crime and not just a little bit of someone else's kink??

[windowsugar]

agreed !! (above) jack c. that's FUNNYYY....
And, yeah ... legislature GET A LIFE

Guess " General Revenue" wasn't available to talk with Larcenia about the budget....

[Jim Jackson]

I don't know where to start. Mossy Head is a real place adjacent Eglin Air Force Base in Walton County. But I love the edgy sound of the name. Larcenia gives her state of the animal and masturbation speech every year at this time. How do these folks get to be our Legislators? She once represented me when I lived in Miami.
Goats, yea, I remember goats but most were sacrificed by a Santero not screwed. As rural as Florida once was I am sure many of our veteran legislators grew up on farms and what happens in the back 40 stays there.

[Al Elks]

And a rebuttal...?

http://www.opposingviews.com/articles/opinion-three-reasons-society-shouldn-t-rush-to-condemn-bestiality

Mike Huckaberry thinks gay protections for their partners(Not condemning or approving)will somehow allow bestiality to become legal? I know he was a preacher until government employment far out paid working for the lord but is he for real?
He has somehow made a connection between the two? Maybe he should have consulted an attorney on this,this would cost him dearly in a face to face debate.I remember all the right wing nuts talking about Hillary staying in the the campaign while ignoring that Huckaberry doing the same thing.

[Laney]

Of course the anti-Wakulla slur is from an 'anonymous' poster. Ballsy.