On The DL

William Wright


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Published: Nov 15, 2006

Thu., Nov. 16, 5:30 p.m., free, Giovanni's Room, 345 S. 12th St., 215-923-2960, www.giovannisroom.com

Joe Kennedy famously warned his sons: "Never write anything down you wouldn't want published on the front page of The New York Times."

If only his alma mater had taken that advice.

Harvard University may be the most prestigious university in the country, but, like other "prestigious" institutions, Harvard hides a dark past.

In 2002 a student newspaper at Harvard unearthed that past with the discovery of "secret court files" detailing the systematic 1920's persecution of students "engaged in homosexual activities." A series of devastating suicides, ruined lives and a massive cover-up followed. The whole saga is exposed in Harvard's Secret Court: The Savage 1920 Purge of Campus Homosexuals (St. Martin's Press), by New York Times best-selling author William Wright.

Wright's visit to Philadelphia's friendly Gayborhood bookstore will be broadcast on C-SPAN and is free to the public. He'll be reading the "juicier" passages from the book, as well as explaining how Harvard managed to keep its prejudice off the front pages for more than 80 years.