Save the Date: Commonwealth Club Event on April 19, 2012

Please save the date and plan to join us for a Commonwealth Club Program on Professor Dale Carpenter's new book "Flagrant Conduct - the Untold Story of Lawrence v. Texas." In his book, Professor Carpenter draws from dozens of new interviews that yield surprising new evidence, Carpenter reexamines the motives of almost every character involved, from the arresting police officers to the gay-rights attorneys, to the nine Supreme Court justices. This is the first complete history of the case, which expanded the legal rights of millions of gay and lesbian Americans.

Reviews in both the New York Times and the SF Chronicle have praised Carpenter's book as being both top-notch investigative journalism and page turning storytelling. Copies of the reviews can be found at SF Gate and NYT:

In Lawrence the US Supreme Court by a 6-3 ruling, struck down the sodomy law in Texas and, by proxy, invalidated sodomy laws in the thirteen other states where they remained in existence, thereby making same-sex sexual activity legal in every state and territory of the nation. This case established that intimate consensual sexual conduct was protected by one's liberty interest guaranteed by the Constitution. It removed the legal stigma from consensual homosexual acts between adults. The details are:

   * 595 Market Street, Second Floor on April 19, 2012

   * Wine and Cheese reception starts at 5:15 p.m. in front of the GOLD room.

   * Program starts at 6:00 p.m.

   * Program ends at 7:05 p.m.

   * Book sales and signing after the end of the program.

Ticket sales and more information can be found here.