Bob Uplinger’s mugshots, taken on August 7th of 1981. Image courtesy of the Dr. Madeline Davis LGBTQ Archive of Western New York, Archives & Special Collections Department, E. H. Butler Library, SUNY Buffalo State.
Sex, Solicitation, and the Supreme Court: Remembering People v. Uplinger
An LGBTQ History Month Program
Friday, October 22, 2021
12 noon to 1:30 p.m. via Zoom Webinar
In People v. Uplinger, a Buffalo man challenged the constitutionality of his conviction for solicitation to commit sodomy. After he won in New York's Court of Appeals, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in the case but ultimately declined to rule on the merits.
Two years later, the Court upheld sodomy laws in Bowers v. Hardwick. Would Uplinger have produced a different result? This panel will explore that possibility, and will illuminate Uplinger's importance in the legal and political histories of this country, this state, and this region.
Panelists:
Prof. Michael Boucai, University at Buffalo School of Law
Dr. Jeffry Iovannone, Cornell University (M.A. candidate, Historic Preservation Planning)
Questions? Please contact Professor Michael Boucai (mboucai@buffalo.edu)
Sponsored by:
- The Richard C. Failla LGBTQ Commission of the New York State Courts
- The University at Buffalo School of Law