Texas police were dispatched to Lawrence's apartment complex in response to a reported weapons disturbance. Houston police entered Lawrence's apartment and saw him and another man, Garner, engaging in a consensual sexual act. The case began with the arrest of a Houston resident, John Lawrence. Lawrence and Garner were detained and held in police custody overnight. Both men were charged with violating the Texas "Homosexual Conduct" law. This law prohibits a "person who commits an offense if he engages in deviate sexual intercourse with another individual of the same sex." The Supreme Court case Lawrence v. Texas was ruled that states cannot make laws banning homosexual sodomy. These laws are unconstitutional and a violation of the right to
