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Judicial Impediments To Legislating Equality For Same-Sex Couples In The European Union, Bruce Carolan
Judicial Impediments To Legislating Equality For Same-Sex Couples In The European Union, Bruce Carolan
Articles
In the United States, the state and federal courts often has been the first port of call for activists hoping to advance the cause of same-sex couples. State courts, in particular, have ruled on occasion that guarantees of equal rights or due process contained in state constitutions require recognition of same-sex marriage or civil unions. These court decisions, in turn, have sparked a legislative backlash. Legislators and voters have rejected these court decisions by amending state constitutions to limit the rights of same-sex couples. The European Union represents, in some ways, the mirror image of the United States experience. The …
Rights Of Sexual Minorities In Ireland And Europe: Rhetoric Versus Reality, Bruce Carolan
Rights Of Sexual Minorities In Ireland And Europe: Rhetoric Versus Reality, Bruce Carolan
Articles
Superficially, Irish and European Community law proclaim the rights of sexual minorities - particularly in web sites and printed information designed for public consumption. The reality is different. This article identifies a gap between the public pronouncements on the rights of sexual minorities under Irish and EC law. It employs a hypothetical fact situation to suggest that existing legal protections are anemic, and argues that the potential failure of affected groups to identify these deficiencies (due to contradictory claims in public information campaigns) could endanger efforts to effect progressive change.