Law Commons^™

Blatantly Biased: Expanding Pena-Rodriguez To Cases Of Bias Against Sexual Orientation, Religion, And Sex, Tressa Bussio

William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice

No abstract provided.

There's Nothing Rational About It: Heightened Scrutiny For Sexual Orientation Is Long Overdue, Daniel J. Galvin Jr.

William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice

In this Article, I argue that sexual orientation meets the burden established by Supreme Court jurisprudence for suspect classification and, therefore, should receive heightened scrutiny under Fourteenth Amendment equal protection analysis. After decades of using the fundamental rights analysis to aid lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals in their pursuit of equality, addressing the fundamental right to marry and the fundamental right to privacy, the Supreme Court must address the elephant in the courtroom: that sexual orientation meets all of the factors set by the Court in equal protection cases for suspect classification.

Gays, lesbians, and bisexual individuals (LGBs) meet the …

Section 7: Civil Rights, Institute Of Bill Of Rights Law, William & Mary Law School

Supreme Court Preview

No abstract provided.

Leveraging Regional Human Rights Mechanisms Against Universal Human Rights: The Oic Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission Study On Sexual Orientation, Robert C. Blitt

William & Mary Law Review Online

This article critically assesses a recent study on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) prepared by the Organization for Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC). The first two parts review the establishment of the IPHRC and the norms governing regional human rights mechanisms (RHRMs). Following this, the article demonstrates that the methodology and conclusions evidenced in the IPHRC’s SOGI study diametrically oppose substantive international human rights law, and furthermore undermine the intended purpose of RHRMs within the human rights system. The article concludes by recommending that human rights advocates and others clearly and publicly call out these …

Inching Towards Equality: Lgbt Rights And The Limitations Of Law In Hong Kong, Joy L. Chia, Amy Barrow

William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice

Since legislative reform decriminalizing sodomy in 1991, the Hong Kong government has taken a passive role in the legal protection of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals. Instead, LGBT rights advancements have occurred primarily through the work of the courts, resulting in piecemeal progress that has left unaddressed the daily discrimination experienced by LGBT people in Hong Kong. Despite increased pressure in recent years for antidiscrimination legislation, the Hong Kong government continues to assert that self-regulation and public education, rather than legislation, are more appropriate tools for addressing discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. This Article argues …

Employment Discrimination Against Bisexuals: An Empirical Study, Ann E. Tweedy, Karen Yescavage

William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Public Accommodation Statutes And Sexual Orientation: Should There Be A Religious Exemption For Secular Businesses?, Lucien J. Dhooge

William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice

This Article examines the issue of whether there should be a religious exemption for secular businesses from public accommodation statutes that protect prospective patrons from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The Article examines this issue in the context of protecting free exercise of religion versus offering services to all members of the public equally and without distinction. The Article concludes that the perceived threat to religious liberty posed by such statutes is exaggerated, that the consequences of granting exemptions would be harmful, and that state-sanctioned discrimination is contrary to the fundamental principles of justice and equality underlying the …

Social Science Studies And The Children Of Lesbians And Gay Men: The Rational Basis Perspective, Carlos A. Ball

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

This Article seeks to determine whether the social science literature on the children of lesbians and gay men precludes the government from relying on child welfare considerations to justify same-sex marriage bans and parenting restrictions affecting lesbians and gay men under the highly deferential rational basis test. Under that test, courts must uphold laws and regulations that have any conceivable basis of fact which is rationally related to a legitimate state interest. After comprehensively reviewing the social science literature, the Article concludes that the empirical evidence showing the lack of an association between parental sexual orientation and the psychological and …

Why Segregated Schools For Gay Students May Pass A "Separate But Equal" Analysis But Fail Other Issues And Concerns, Louis P. Nappen

William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Bottoms Iii: Visitation Restrictions And Sexual Orientation, Joseph R. Price

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

In 1994, national media attention focused on the Virginia case Bottoms v. Bottoms, in which Kay Bottoms successfully fought to terminate her lesbian daughter Sharon's custody of Sharon's son, Tyler. Although the Court of Appeals of Virginia reversed the trial court's award of custody to Kay Bottoms, the Supreme Court of Virginia reversed the appellate court and returned custody to Tyler's grandmother. Sharon then sought modification of the visitation and custody order, but the trial court denied her petition and instead reduced and further restricted her visitation rights. In Bottoms III, the Court of Appeals of Virginia reversed the trial …