# The true story of Lawrence v. Texas

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-true-story-of-lawrence-v-texas/614907>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [March 6, 2012, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-true-story-of-lawrence-v-texas/614907 "2012-03-06T06:18:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-true-story-of-lawrence-v-texas/614907/1 "2012-03-06T06:18:17Z")

</div>

Really great [article](http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2012/03/12/120312crbo_books_lithwick?currentPage=all) that is worth sharing. Kinda crazy that both plaintiffs have died already with little to no recognition.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-true-story-of-lawrence-v-texas/614907/2 "2012-03-06T07:05:57Z")

</div>

It is kind of sad actually that all this media manipulation went on, this concern over image. They even mention how crappy these two men were as plaintiffs from the view of courting judicial favor.

Its kind of sad that this shit still matters, to quote the article I guess “drunken gay Texans” would not have been media darlings, but you rarely find media darlings.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-true-story-of-lawrence-v-texas/614907/3 "2012-03-06T14:45:45Z")

</div>

Hm, interesting. The facts of the case state that the police saw the two “engaged in a sexual act” when they entered the home. It seems this fact was never disputed legally but actually was in dispute. factually. Very interesting.

This pair are a wholesome as baseball and apple pie, next to Miranda, the serial sex offender, armed robber, and drunk driver… who ultimately died in a bar fight.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-true-story-of-lawrence-v-texas/614907/4 "2012-03-06T15:49:53Z")

</div>

Interesting story, thanks for sharing.

I’m kind of curious why the state decided to charge the “couple” with sodomy in the first place though. Putting aside the fact that it seems pretty unclear whether the two were having sex at all, it sounds like even in Texas sodomy charges were really rare. Did they just piss someone off who then went out of his/her way to find something they could be charged with, or was one of the cops really puritanical and decided he needed a way to punish the queers or what?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2012, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-true-story-of-lawrence-v-texas/614907/5 "2012-06-04T01:42:12Z")

</div>

Was the fact that one was black and one white the issue?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2012, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-true-story-of-lawrence-v-texas/614907/6 "2012-06-04T06:05:57Z")

</div>

This is a great article, thank you!