Ace of Diamonds
John Lawrence and Tyron Garner
Case Background
John Lawrence and Tyron Garner were targets of anti-gay and Homophobia laws in Texas in 1998. On September 7, 1998, Police broke into the residence of John Lawrence and Tyron Garner, they were both accused of participating in Homosexual acts and were arrested under the Homosexual Conduct law. Later they sought legal console, eventually changing their plead from Not Guilty to No Contest on the advice of their lawyers from Lambda Legal Defense. This case became history for LGBT rights, becoming the most influential case as Lawrence v Texas in the supreme court in 2003. The supreme court sided with Lawrence and Garner establishing the right to privacy.
John Lawrence- Background
John Lawrence was born in 1943. He served in the United States Navy as a Medical technician. John lived his life relatively like anyone else until he was brought in as the face of injustice in the infamous case of homophobia called Lawerence v. Texas. Mr. Lawrence in the defense of their stance that prosecution of this lifestyle was unconstitutional. Later reflecting on the case saying “ Why should there be a law passed that only prosecutes certain people?” he asked. “Why build a law that only says, ‘Because you’re a gay man you can’t do this. But because you’re a heterosexual, you can do the same thing? In an interview with Professor Carpenter. John Lawrence passed away in 2011 survived by his partner and two siblings.
Tyron Garner- Background
Tyron Garner was born in 1967 and had lived a pretty reserved life. Tyron was cast into the role of a Gay Rights activist. He was described as on the quiet side, and a passive individual by his lawyer Mitchell Kitrane. Tyron was quoted saying “I don’t really want to be a hero, but I want to tell other gay people to be who you are and don’t be afraid”. Tyron Garner passed away in 2006 at the age of 39.
Articles about this Case:
https://time.com/5768865/marlon-james-lgbtq-case-america/
https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/24/us/john-lawrence-plaintiff-in-lawrence-v-texas-dies-at-68.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/14/obituaries/14garner.html
