William Eskridge is the author of Gaylaw: Challenging the Apartheid of the Closet and Gay Marriage: for Better or for Worse? His new book, Dishonorable Passions: Sodomy Laws in America, 1861-2003, examines the changing attitudes and laws regarding homosexuality and privacy rights from the mid-19th century up until 2003 when the Supreme Court ruled that sodomy laws were unconstitutional.
For more than 15 years, since before the popular adoption of e-mail and the further acceleration of life in the capital to which electronic communication has contributed, Eskridge has hosted at his home in Washington a regular reading group that rates among the most relaxed and undistracted but at the same time lively and long-lived in the city. The GayLaw Reading Group first convened as an adjunct to the nonprofit association of DC-area LGBT and allied attorneys whose name it shares. But it quickly developed a momentum and loyal constituency all its own. Regular participants, in suggesting readings and offering criticism of the group's monthly assignments to itself, often reflect candidly on recent trends in advocacy or court opinions. Some also test out emerging theses of law-review articles, op-ed pieces, or their own creative writing. As cogent in eliciting discussion among small groups as he is in large seminars, Eskridge has shown that even in a transient city, a community of readers can have staying power.
Eskridge is a currently a professor at Yale Law School.
