EVAN WOLFSON
Renowned
civil rights attorney
Author
of Why Marriage Matters: America, Equality, and Gay People's Right to Marry
"One
of the 100 most influential people in the world."
- TIME Magazine
Wednesday, November 4, 6:00
Eugene Public Library, Downtown
FREE
Famed civil rights attorney Evan Wolfson,
named by TIME Magazine as "one of the 100 most influential people in the
world," will give a free talk at Eugene Public Library, Downtown, on
Wednesday, November 4, at 6:00.
Wolfson, the author of "Why Marriage
Matters: America, Equality, and Gay People's Right to
Marry," will speak about the past, present, and future of this
controversial topic. Books for purchase and signing will be available courtesy
of the University of Oregon Bookstore/Duck Store.
Like the state of Oregon, Wolfson has a long, high-profile history in the evolution
of laws regarding sexual orientation. Among many accomplishments, he was
co-counsel in the landmark Hawaii marriage case, Baehr v. Miike, which launched the current
nationwide debate about marriage equality.
From 1989 to 2001, he worked at Lambda
Legal Defense & Education Fund, the nation's preeminent lesbian/gay legal
advocacy group. He argued before the U.S. Supreme Court in Boy Scouts of
America v. Dale.
Wolfson contributed his expertise to the
team in Baker v. Vermont, the Vermont Supreme Court ruling that
led to the creation of civil unions, which have since been replaced with full
marriage equality. Wolfson also worked with the legal team in Goodridge v.
Department of Public Health, which in May 2004 led to full marriage equality in
Massachusetts.
In recognition of the impact of his work,
The National Law Journal named Wolfson "one of the most influential
attorneys in America."
Between Yale College and Harvard Law School, Wolfson spent two years with the Peace Corps in West Africa. Early in his legal career, he served as
Associate Counsel to Lawrence Walsh in the Iran/Contra investigation, and as an
Assistant District Attorney in Brooklyn, New
York. He has taught
law at Columbia University and Rutgers University.
Wolfson is currently a Senior Fellow at
the New School's Wolfson Center for National Affairs. He is the founder and executive
director of the non-profit organization Freedom to Marry. Wolfson lives in New York City, appearing frequently as a guest expert
in the national media.
For more information, contact Eugene
Public Library: (541) 682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library.
Co-sponsored
by Eugene Public Library, the Friends of Eugene Public Library, the
Eugene Public Library Foundation, and the UO Bookstore/Duck Store.
