But Sen. Scott McCoy, D-Salt Lake City, said the bill has nothing to do with his sexuality.

"I'm doing this bill for all the consenting adults who don't want the government's nose in their business," he said. "It applies to heterosexual individuals with equal force."

The bill, released for the first time on Wednesday, is largely symbolic because the U.S. Supreme Court already struck down anti-sodomy laws more than three years ago.

But McCoy's measure will still face heavy opposition from people such as West Jordan Republican Sen. Chris Buttars.

He promised Wednesday to "fight that all the way."

"You can like sodomy, I don't," he said. "I think sodomy is sickening."

McCoy will try to gain support from conservative lawmakers who routinely support legislation aimed at Utah's gay population by describing his bill as a "conservative" measure.

"This is a 'government get out of my life' bill," McCoy said.

Previous attempts to remove Utah's defunct sodomy law have failed, even after the Supreme Court's 6 to 3 ruling in 2003.

In that case, the court struck down Texas' law banning consensual sex between adults of the same sex and in the process impacted 12 other states including Utah that ban oral or anal sex, even among consenting adults.

Paul Boyden of the Statewide Association of Prosecutors said the Supreme Court has already decided this issue, no matter what the Legislature does.

"Obviously we are not going to prosecute them anyway," he said.

mcanham@sltrib.com