A more thorough explanation:

Crime against nature is a term used to describe sexual offenses that are considered "unnatural" or "contrary to the order of nature." This can include acts such as sodomy, bestiality, prostitution, and sexual acts involving minors.

In some jurisdictions, laws have been created to specifically address these individual offenses. For example, California used to use the term "the infamous crime against nature" to describe both sodomy and bestiality, but eventually separated the offenses into their own definitions.

However, some jurisdictions still use the language "crime against nature." In North Carolina, for example, any person who commits a crime against nature "with mankind or beast" is guilty of a felony. This can include sodomy and bestiality, but also encompasses other sexual acts that are considered unnatural.

Although the Supreme Court in Lawrence v. Texas struck down anti-sodomy laws, the crime against nature remains relevant. North Carolina has held that Lawrence also articulated a limit on the sexual conduct protected by the Constitution. Therefore, crime against nature statutes targeting sexual conduct outside that scope, such as between minors or nonconsenting parties, remain constitutional.

For example, in Rose v. Locke, the Supreme Court upheld a Louisiana law that criminalized consensual oral sex between adults and minors. In Cook v. Reinke, a federal court in Idaho upheld a statute criminalizing sexual contact with animals.

These examples illustrate how crime against nature laws can be used to prosecute sexual acts that are considered unnatural or outside the scope of protected sexual conduct.