Shippensburg University professor Steven Lichtman discussed various court cases that addressed the constitutional rights of those in the LGBT community at a lecture in Grove Hall at SU.

Lichtman mingled with students while he patiently waited to present his lecture on LGBT rights on Sept. 17, Constitution Day.

One of the more important cases he discussed was Obergefell v. Hodges. This case was the most recent of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) cases to make its way to the Supreme Court.

Obergefell v. Hodges is the case that resulted in the U.S. Supreme Court ruling to make homosexual marriage legal nationwide on June 26, 2015.

Although the case is considered a milestone for the LGBT community, there are still some issues at hand.

“People are still regarding homosexuals as second class,” Lichtman said. “Brown v. Board of Education teaches us that the court can be a source of attitudinal adjustment.

“The court can be a source of moral leadership. The court can say, ‘the way we think is wrong and needs to change.’ This court, on this issue, in this constitution has come close, but has not said that, yet. In my opinion, I think they should, because by not saying it we still have some serious problems.”

Though the Supreme Court’s final decision was to legalize same-sex marriage, there are no federal laws criminalizing discrimination against those in the LGBT community.

Other cases Lichtman discussed were Bowers v. Hardwick, Romer v. Evans, United States v. Windsor, and Lawrence v. Texas. Each of these cases made it to the U.S. Supreme Court and paved the way for James Obergefell to win his case and change the game for all members of the LGBT community.

Many students were in attendance and enjoyed Lichtman’s lecture.

“My favorite part was the connect he made between the past and present cases and the evolution process for the LGBT community,” said Tatiana Purnell, a first-year student at SU.

Lichtman hopes that students understand that constitutional provisions and decisions are important to everyone.

“I want them to fully understand what did and did not work in this opinion and the journey that LGBT rights took to get to this opinion,” Lichtman said.

Lichtman opened the eyes of students and raised awareness that although this fight has been won for the LGBT community, the battle is not over yet.

Lichtman is a professor of political science and has been teaching at SU since 2006. Prior to SU, Lichtman taught at the University of Vermont for one year and Dickinson College for two years. Lichtman also worked at what he likes to call “various adjunct positions” in Boston, Massachusetts. He received his bachelor’s degree in political science from Brandeis University in 1990 and a law degree in 1993. In 2004 Lichtman returned to Brandeis for his Ph.D. in political science.

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