WILL - Focus - January 09, 2013 ~ Comment (0)

Rainbow Illinois: A Survey of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender People in Central Illinois

Attitudes towards and about the gay community are changing rapidly. At the ballot box this fall, voters in Maine, Maryland and Washington voted to support same sex marriage. Many organizations have anti-discrimination policies that include language regarding sexual orientation. Younger people seem more inclusive than previous generations when it comes to sexuality. And yet, there are still people in the gay community who feel they are not fully a part of the wider community around them. And there are those in that wider world who aren’t ready to accept gay people as full citizens.

WILL - Focus - November 27, 2012 ~ Comment (0)

From the Closet to the Altar: Courts, Backlash and the Struggle for Same-Sex Marriage

Over the last 20 years, Americans have discussed, debated, fought over and been divided by the issue of same-sex marriage. The arguments in those two decades haven’t changed very much. Supporters of same-sex marriage see it as a civil rights issue, and that any limits on the ability of two consenting adults to wed are manifestly unfair. Opponents argue the state has always set some measure of restriction on marriage, and fear a slippery slope towards further changes to what they see as ‘traditional’ marriage. What has changed, in recent years, is public opinion, which has shifted from majority opposition to majority approval. This November, voters in Maine, Maryland, and Washington voted in support of same-sex marriage. It's the first time such rights have been affirmed directly by voters.

On Tuesday's Focus, we’ll examine the history and politics of same-sex marriage with author and historian Michael Klarman. In his book From the Closet to the Altar, Klarman examines how the issue has been dealt with by the courts, and the political backlash of decisions both for and against same-sex marriage.

WILL - Focus - September 20, 2012 ~ Comment (0)

A Preview of The Upcoming 2012-2013 US Supreme Court Term

Lisa T. McElroy, J.D., Associate Professor of Law, Earle Mack School of Law, Drexel University

Daniel W. Hamilton, J.D., Ph.D., Professor of Law and History, University of Illinois

Host: Craig Cohen

The Supreme Court’s new term begins on October 1st, and includes cases dealing with issues ranging from affirmative action to the constitutionality of a global terrorism wiretapping program, to the Fourth Amendment and law enforcement use of drug-sniffing dogs. The High Court may add other cases to the docket, potentially including a challenge to a law banning same sex marriage in California. We’ll preview the fall term with Daniel Hamilton, Professor of Law and History at the University of Illinois…and Lisa McElroy, an Associate Professor of Law from Drexel University Law School.

WILL - Focus - July 20, 2012 ~ Comment (0)

Flagrant Conduct: The Story of Lawrence v. Texas How a Bedroom Arrest Decriminalized Gay Americans

Dale Carpenter, J.D., the Earl R. Larson Professor of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Law, University of Minnesota Law School

Host: David Inge

In 1998, two Houston men were arrested and charged with having sex…a violation of Texas law. Gay rights activists took up the case and when it was all over…the US Supreme Court had overturned the law…and similar laws in twelve other states.  That is the standard story of Lawrence v. Texas but there is much more to the story than that. Our guest will be Dale Carpenter professor of law at the University of Minnesota and author of Flagrant Conduct. The book presents some surprising features of the case including the willingness of the two men charged to admit to something they didn’t do in order to challenge an unjust law.

This is a repeat broadcast from Wednesday, May 23, 2012, 10 am

WILL - Focus - May 23, 2012 ~ Comment (0)

Flagrant Conduct: the Story of Lawrence v. Texas: How a Bedroom Arrest Decriminalized Gay Americans

In 1998, two Houston men were arrested and charged with having sex…a violation of Texas law. Gay rights activists took up the case and when it was all over…the US Supreme Court had overturned the law…and similar laws in twelve other states.  That is the standard story of Lawrence v. Texas but there is much more to the story than that. Our guest will be Dale Carpenter professor of law at the University of Minnesota and author of Flagrant Conduct. The book presents some surprising features of the case including the willingness of the two men charged to admit to something they didn’t do in order to challenge an unjust law.

WILL - Focus - May 15, 2012 ~ Comment (0)

Flagrant Conduct: The Story of Lawrence v. Texas

With Dale Carpenter, J.D. (the Earl R. Larson Professor of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Law, University of Minnesota Law School)

WILL - Focus - April 25, 2011 ~ Comment (0)

Stonewall Riots 40th Anniversary: A Look at the Uprising that Launched the Modern Gay Rights Movemen

With David K. Johnson, Ph.D. (Associate Professor, Department of History, University of South Florida)

WILL - Focus - September 16, 2010 ~ Comment (0)

From the Closet to the Courtroom: Five LGBT Rights Lawsuits Have Changed Our Nation

With Carlos Ball, LL.M., J.D. (Professor of Law, School of Law, Rutgers University, Newark)

WILL - Focus - February 17, 2010 ~ Comment (0)

Mad Men:  A Look Back in Time and Just How Far Have We Come

With Clarence E. Lang, Ph.D. (Assistant Professor of African American Studies, and the Department of History , University of Illinois), and , and Lilya Kaganovsky, Ph.D. (Associate Professor of Slavic Languages and Literature, University of Illinois), and , and Leslie Jean Reagan, Ph.D. (Associate Professor of History, Medicine, Gender and Women's Studies, and Law , University of Illinois)

WILL - Focus - February 16, 2010 ~ Comment (0)

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell:  Gays and Lesbians Serving Honorably in the Military

With Nathaniel Frank, Ph.D. (Senior Research Fellow, The Palm Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Adjunct Professor at New York University)