Tyrone Garner, one of the plaintiffs in the landmark 2003 Lawrence v. Texas case that effectively overturned state sodomy laws, died Monday.
Garner and John Lawrence challenged a discriminatory Texas sodomy law after they were arrested in 1998 for having consensual sex in Lawrence's home in Houston. The case eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled the law was unconstitutional, effectively overturning sodomy laws in the 13 states that still had them on the books.
Lambda Legal, which argued the case before the Supreme Court, first reported on Garner's passing and highlighted the immense role he played in the struggle for equal rights. "Because Tyrone Garner and John Lawrence had the courage to challenge homophobic sodomy laws, the U.S. Supreme Court recognized that love, sexuality and family play the same role in gay people's lives as they do for everyone else, said Lambda Legal Executive Director Kevin Cathcart. "That's a colossal legacy and one for which his community will forever be thankful."
No comments:
Post a Comment