Newswise — As Constitution Day approaches, Shannon Gilreath, professor for interdisciplinary study at Wake Forest University School of Law, questions whether the U.S. Constitution deserves fidelity.
"Many people, including women, people of color and gays, were intentionally left out of the creation of the Constitution and its subsequent judicial development," said Gilreath. "The continuing invisibility of traditionally marginalized people is most obvious in the absolutist interpretation of the First Amendment's right to free speech. This position has amounted to protecting hate speech at the expense of the victim."
Gilreath is available to discuss the historical context of his argument, address how protection of hate speech affects its victims, and discuss ways to make the Constitution more legitimate to more people.
Gilreath is nationally recognized as a leading scholar on issues of equality, sexual minorities, and constitutional interpretation. He is the author of "Sexual Politics" and "Sexual Identity Law in Context." His work has been nominated for several national awards, including the LAMBDA Literary Foundation Award and the American Library Association's Stonewall Prize for Nonfiction.
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