Final answer:
The Alabama criminal code defines acts of sexual gratification involving the sex organs and the mouth or anus of another as sodomy, but such laws have been invalidated by the Supreme Court decision in Lawrence v. Texas, which protects consensual adult sexual activity in private under the right to privacy.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Alabama criminal code defines any act of sexual gratification between two persons involving the sex organs of one person and the mouth or anus of another as sodomy. Historically, sodomy laws have been in place in the United States since colonial times. These laws have often been applied without distinction between heterosexual and homosexual acts, though in practice, they have disproportionately targeted gay men and have justified the denial of civil rights to the LGBTQ+ community.
However, it is important to note that in Lawrence v. Texas (2003), the Supreme Court overturned previous decisions allowing states to criminalize sodomy, thus invalidating such laws and upholding a more general right for adults to engage in private, consensual sexual relationships without government interference. This landmark decision reflected a shift towards recognizing the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and the right to privacy, implying that practices criminalized under Alabama's sodomy law would be unconstitutional if they involved consenting adults in private.