LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A judge threw out Arkansas' anti-sodomy law Friday, saying it unfairly singles out homosexuals for prosecution.

No one has been prosecuted under the 1977 law. But seven homosexuals brought a lawsuit challenging the law, saying they feared being charged and convicted and losing their jobs or professional licenses.

Pulaski County Circuit Judge David Bogard said the Arkansas Legislature erred when it barred consensual, noncommercial sexual activities between people of the same sex while permitting the same activities among heterosexuals.

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The Arkansas law carried a $1,000 fine and up to a year in jail.

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