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Sexuality and the Law

Selected Works

Articles 1 - 30 of 55

Full-Text Articles in Human Rights Law

Asian Courts And Lgbt Rights, Holning Lau Dec 2019

Asian Courts And Lgbt Rights, Holning Lau

Holning Lau

Courts have played an integral part in advancing the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities in many parts of Asia. For example, Taiwan’s highest court ruled in 2017 that it was unconstitutional to exclude same-sex couples from marriage. As a result, in 2019, Taiwan became the first jurisdiction in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. Among judicial decisions from Asia, Taiwan’s marriage ruling has gone the furthest in affirming same-sex relationships, but it is not alone in vindicating the rights of gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals. Courts in Asia have also advanced transgender rights. For example, building on …


Sexual Orientation, Equal Treatment And The Right To Manifest Religion: Lee V Mcarthur, Mel Cousins Nov 2017

Sexual Orientation, Equal Treatment And The Right To Manifest Religion: Lee V Mcarthur, Mel Cousins

Mel Cousins

This note outlines the recent decisions of the Northern Ireland courts in what has become known as the ‘gay cake’ case. The county court ruled that the bakery (Ashers) and its directors had discriminated against Mr. Lee on the grounds of sexual orientation (under the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006) and on the grounds of political opinion and/or religious belief (under the Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998). The court further held that any limit on the manifestation of the defendant’s religious beliefs was necessary in a democratic society and a proportionate means of achieving a …


Ri Should Target Sex Buyers, Donna M. Hughes Dr. May 2016

Ri Should Target Sex Buyers, Donna M. Hughes Dr.

Donna M. Hughes

Men who buy sex----and they are only a small minority of men---are responsible for the crime of sex trafficking continuing to thrive. When sex traffickers find victims and coerce them into prostitution, they are serving the sex buyers, who pay them well for finding and marketing the victims to them.

For years, analysts have studied sex trafficking to determine the best way to combat this modern form of slavery. Today, a consensus is forming among advocates and law enforcement that to combat sex trafficking, the focus has to be on men who buy sex as much as on the pimps …


The Respectable Dignity Of Obergefell V. Hodges, Yuvraj Joshi Oct 2015

The Respectable Dignity Of Obergefell V. Hodges, Yuvraj Joshi

Yuvraj Joshi

In declaring state laws that restrict same-sex marriage unconstitutional, Justice Kennedy invoked “dignity” nine times—to no one’s surprise. References in Obergefell to “dignity” are in important respects the culmination of Justice Kennedy’s elevation of the concept, dating back to the Supreme Court’s 1992 decision in Planned Parenthood v. Casey. In Casey, “dignity” expressed respect for a woman’s freedom to make choices about her pregnancy. Casey laid the foundation for Lawrence v. Texas, which similarly respected the freedom of choice of homosexual persons. Yet, starting in United States v. Windsor and continuing in Obergefell, the narrative began to change. Dignity veered …


Equality And Singapore’S First Constitutional Challenges To The Criminalization Of Male Homosexual Conduct, Jack Tsen-Ta Lee Sep 2015

Equality And Singapore’S First Constitutional Challenges To The Criminalization Of Male Homosexual Conduct, Jack Tsen-Ta Lee

Jack Tsen-Ta LEE

In 2013, in Lim Meng Suang and Kenneth Chee Mun-Leon v Attorney-General and Tan Eng Hong v Attorney-General, the High Court of Singapore delivered the first judgments in the jurisdiction considering the constitutionality of section 377A of the Penal Code, which criminalizes acts of 'gross indecency' between two men, whether they occur in public or private. The Court ruled that the provision was not inconsistent with the guarantees of equality before the law and equal protection of the law stated in Article 12(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore. The result was upheld in 2014 by the Court …


Esterilizaciones Forzadas: Estándares Internacionales De Responsabilidad Estatal En Derechos Humanos, Beatriz Ramirez Aug 2015

Esterilizaciones Forzadas: Estándares Internacionales De Responsabilidad Estatal En Derechos Humanos, Beatriz Ramirez

Beatriz Ramirez

El artículo muestra los estándares internacionales de derechos humanos en materia de esterilizaciones forzadas y presenta la forma en que se ha declarado responsabilidad internacional estatal ante estos hechos, tema pendiente en nuestro país frente a las denuncias realizadas por el Programa de Salud Reproductiva y Planificación Familiar aplicados de los años 1996 al 2000.


Afterword – Straightness As Property: Back To The Future-Law And Status In The 21st Century, Symposium: Liberalism And Property Rights, Berta E. Hernández-Truyol, Shelbi D. Day Aug 2015

Afterword – Straightness As Property: Back To The Future-Law And Status In The 21st Century, Symposium: Liberalism And Property Rights, Berta E. Hernández-Truyol, Shelbi D. Day

Berta E. Hernández-Truyol

As is evident from the other works in this Symposium, throughout history in both the United States and the greater Western World, status-based exclusion of individuals and groups from property rights has been central to the existence of political and social hierarchies. Specifically, exclusion based on status — whether it be nationality, culture, race, sex or sexuality — has plagued our history and has been integral in the formation and development of both constitutional and property law regimes. Consequently, both regimes are at best uneven in the grant and distribution of rights and benefits. A forward-looking examination of the link …


Currency Of Love: Customary International Law And The Battle For Same-Sex Marriage In The United States, 14 U. Pa. J.L. & Soc. Change 53 (2011), Sonia Bychkov Green Jul 2015

Currency Of Love: Customary International Law And The Battle For Same-Sex Marriage In The United States, 14 U. Pa. J.L. & Soc. Change 53 (2011), Sonia Bychkov Green

Sonia Bychkov Green

No abstract provided.


Using International Human Rights Law To Advance Queer Rights: A Case Study For The American Declaration Of The Rights And Duties Of Man, 55 Ohio St. L.J. 649 (1994), Mark E. Wojcik Jul 2015

Using International Human Rights Law To Advance Queer Rights: A Case Study For The American Declaration Of The Rights And Duties Of Man, 55 Ohio St. L.J. 649 (1994), Mark E. Wojcik

Mark E. Wojcik

In addition to violating various provisions of federal and state constitutions, anti-gay ballot initiatives may violate international human rights norms. I see three reasons to invoke international human rights to challenge these initiatives. First, international human rights norms place the struggle for gay and lesbian rights in its proper context as a struggle for human rights. Second, some of the international human rights instruments provide both a source of legal obligation and an additional forum to challenge anti-gay ballot initiatives. Third and finally, if lesbian and gay activists in the United States establish that documents such as the American Declaration …


International Health Law, International Travel Restrictions, And The Human Rights Of Persons With Aids And Hiv, 1 Touro J. Transnat'l L. 285 (1990), Michael L. Closen, Mark E. Wojcik Jul 2015

International Health Law, International Travel Restrictions, And The Human Rights Of Persons With Aids And Hiv, 1 Touro J. Transnat'l L. 285 (1990), Michael L. Closen, Mark E. Wojcik

Mark E. Wojcik

No abstract provided.


Sentencing Pregnant Drug Addicts: Why The Child Endangerment Enhancement Is Not Appropriate, Monica Carusello Jan 2015

Sentencing Pregnant Drug Addicts: Why The Child Endangerment Enhancement Is Not Appropriate, Monica Carusello

Monica B Carusello

No abstract provided.


Punitive Injunctions, Nirej S. Sekhon Oct 2014

Punitive Injunctions, Nirej S. Sekhon

Nirej Sekhon

No abstract provided.


State Common-Law Choice-Of-Law Doctrine And Same-Sex "Marriage": How Will States Enforce The Public Policy Exception?, L. Lynn Hogue Oct 2014

State Common-Law Choice-Of-Law Doctrine And Same-Sex "Marriage": How Will States Enforce The Public Policy Exception?, L. Lynn Hogue

L. Lynn Hogue

Growth in the number of states legalizing same-sex marriages and civil unions that increasingly mirror the rights afforded married partners has brought renewed focus on the issue of extra-territorial recognition of those relationships. The public policy exception is a primary, state-law-based impediment to the recognition of foreign marriages that do not conform to the forum state's definition of marriage. This article discusses the role of the public policy exception in rejecting recognition of foreign marriages and argues that the public policy exception has constitutional underpinnings that are rooted in principles of federalism and the protection of state sovereignty which inheres …


The Future Of Polyamorous Marriage: Lessons From The Marriage Equality Struggle, Hadar Aviram, Gwendolyn Manriquez Leachman Aug 2014

The Future Of Polyamorous Marriage: Lessons From The Marriage Equality Struggle, Hadar Aviram, Gwendolyn Manriquez Leachman

Hadar Aviram

Amidst the recent legal victories and growing public support for same-sex marriage, numerous polyamorous individuals have expressed interest in pursuing legal recognition for marriages between more than two consenting adults. This Article explores the possibilities that exist for such a polyamorous marriage equality campaign, in light of the theoretical literature on law and social movements, as well as our own original and secondary research on polyamorous and LGBT communities. Among other issues, we examine the prospect of prioritizing the marriage struggle over other forms of nonmarital relationship recognition; pragmatic regulative challenges, like taxation, healthcare, and immigration; and how law and …


Identidad Negada. Una Decisión De La Justicia Constitucional Que Significa Un Menoscabo En La Protección Que Merecen Las Personas Trans, Beatriz Ramirez, Vanessa Tassara Jun 2014

Identidad Negada. Una Decisión De La Justicia Constitucional Que Significa Un Menoscabo En La Protección Que Merecen Las Personas Trans, Beatriz Ramirez, Vanessa Tassara

Beatriz Ramirez

La reciente sentencia del Tribunal Constitucional que negó la solicitud de una transexual de adecuar sus documentos personales a su actual identidad sexual, en razón de que estos únicamente podrían reflejar el sexo biológico de las personas, ha sido sujeto de diversas críticas. Así, tras analizar este fallo, las autoras cuestionan que los magistrados constitucionales hayan resuelto la controversia con base en sus modelos individuales de virtud, ceñidos por sus propios esquemas ideológicos y religiosos (ética privada), cuando debieron haber tomado en cuenta primordialmente los derechos fundamentales en juego (ética pública).


California Egg Toss - The High Costs Of Avoiding Unenforceable Surrogacy Contracts, Jennifer Jackson Apr 2014

California Egg Toss - The High Costs Of Avoiding Unenforceable Surrogacy Contracts, Jennifer Jackson

Jennifer Jackson

In an emotionally charged decision regarding surrogacy contracts, it is important to recognize the ramifications, costs, and policy. There are advantages to both “gestational carrier surrogacy” contracts and “traditional surrogacy” contracts. However, this paper focuses on the differences between these contracts using case law. Specifically, this paper will focus on the implications of California case law regarding surrogacy contracts. Cases such as Johnson v. Calvert and In Re Marriage of Moschetta provide a clear distinction between these contracts. This distinction will show that while gestational carrier surrogacy contracts are more expensive, public policy and court opinions will provide certainty and …


California Egg Toss - The High Costs Of Avoiding Unenforceable Surrogacy Contracts, Jennifer Jackson Apr 2014

California Egg Toss - The High Costs Of Avoiding Unenforceable Surrogacy Contracts, Jennifer Jackson

Jennifer Jackson

In an emotionally charged decision regarding surrogacy contracts, it is important to recognize the ramifications, costs, and policy. There are advantages to both “gestational carrier surrogacy” contracts and “traditional surrogacy” contracts. However, this paper focuses on the differences between these contracts using case law. Specifically, this paper will focus on the implications of California case law regarding surrogacy contracts. Cases such as Johnson v. Calvert and In Re Marriage of Moschetta provide a clear distinction between these contracts. This distinction will show that while gestational carrier surrogacy contracts are more expensive, public policy and court opinions will provide certainty and …


India: Supreme Court Recriminalises "Carnal Intercourse Against The Order Of Nature", Shubhankar Dam Mar 2014

India: Supreme Court Recriminalises "Carnal Intercourse Against The Order Of Nature", Shubhankar Dam

Shubhankar Dam

The Indian Penal Code, 1860 in s. 377 makes “carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal” punishable with imprisonment for life. In Suresh Kumar Koushal and another v. NAZ Foundation and others, reversing a 2009 decision of the Delhi High Court, India's Supreme Court concluded that the provision is constitutionally valid. As a result, India now rejoins 76 other jurisdictions in criminalizing same-sex behavior. The decision is for the most part poorly written and insufficiently reasoned, and the four strands of arguments, individually and collectively, leave much to be desired. This comment for the …


California Egg Toss - The High Costs Of Avoiding Unenforceable Surrogacy Contracts, Jennifer Jackson Dec 2013

California Egg Toss - The High Costs Of Avoiding Unenforceable Surrogacy Contracts, Jennifer Jackson

Jennifer Jackson

In an emotionally charged decision regarding surrogacy contracts, it is important to recognize the ramifications, costs, and policy. There are advantages to both “gestational carrier surrogacy” contracts and “traditional surrogacy” contracts. However, this paper focuses on the differences between these contracts using case law. Specifically, this paper will focus on the implications of California case law regarding surrogacy contracts. Cases such as Johnson v. Calvert and In Re Marriage of Moschetta provide a clear distinction between these contracts. This distinction will show that while gestational carrier surrogacy contracts are more expensive, public policy and court opinions will provide certainty and …


Addressing Early Marriage: Culturally Competent Practices And Romanian Roma (“Gypsy”) Communities, Judith Hale Reed Aug 2013

Addressing Early Marriage: Culturally Competent Practices And Romanian Roma (“Gypsy”) Communities, Judith Hale Reed

Judith A Hale Reed

Early marriage affects many communities around the world. Examples of commonly practiced early marriage can be found today in the U.S., India, Syria, and many other places. Although most countries have instituted minimum age laws for marriage, so that legal marriage can only occur after an age set by law, early marriage is still practiced for tradition, control, security, and other reasons. This article explores the harms of early marriage and the international instruments meant to defend against these harms in Part II. Part III reviews theoretical perspectives from legal anthropology and presents a case study of early marriage in …


Heroínas Forzadas: Reflexiones Sobre Aborto Terapéutico A Propósito De Las Medidas Provisionales De La Corte Interamericana De Derechos Humanos En El Asunto B. Contra El Salvador, Beatriz Ramirez Jun 2013

Heroínas Forzadas: Reflexiones Sobre Aborto Terapéutico A Propósito De Las Medidas Provisionales De La Corte Interamericana De Derechos Humanos En El Asunto B. Contra El Salvador, Beatriz Ramirez

Beatriz Ramirez

El artículo analiza, a la luz de los estándares internacionales, los alcances de la decisión de la Corte Suprema de El Salvador en el amparo presentado en la vía interna para el acceso al aborto terapéutico de la Sra. B. y la resolución de medidas provisionales de la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos. La autora precisa algunos criterios que deben tenerse en cuenta en el análisis de este tipo de casos, los que son de especial pertinencia en nuestro país en el que el aborto terapéutico es legal desde 1924.


“Religious Freedom,” The Individual Mandate, And Gifts: On Why The Church Is Not A Bomb Shelter, Patrick Mckinley Brennan Dec 2012

“Religious Freedom,” The Individual Mandate, And Gifts: On Why The Church Is Not A Bomb Shelter, Patrick Mckinley Brennan

Susan Rexford

The Health and Human Services' regulatory requirement that all but a narrow set of "religious" employers provide contraceptives to employees is an example of what Robert Post and Nancy Rosenblum refer to as a growing "congruence" between civil society's values and the state's legally enacted policy. Catholics and many others have resisted the HHS requirement on the ground that it violates "religious freedom." They ask (in the words of Cardinal Dolan) to be "left alone" by the state. But the argument to be "left alone" overlooks or suppresses the fact that the Catholic Church understands that it is its role …


Los Derechos Reproductivos En La Jurisprudencia De La Corte Interamericana De Derechos Humanos: Apuntes Sobre La Sentencia En El Caso Artavia Murillo Y Otros Contra Costa Rica., Beatriz Ramirez Dec 2012

Los Derechos Reproductivos En La Jurisprudencia De La Corte Interamericana De Derechos Humanos: Apuntes Sobre La Sentencia En El Caso Artavia Murillo Y Otros Contra Costa Rica., Beatriz Ramirez

Beatriz Ramirez

El artículo presenta los principales argumentos de la reciente sentencia de la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos sobre la prohibición de la fecundación in vitro en Costa Rica, sentencia que marca la irrupción explícita de los derechos reproductivos en la jurisprudencia interamericana.


Gay Parenthood And The Revolution Of The Modern Family: An Examination Of The Unique Barriers Confronting Gay Adoptive Parents, Nicholas Arntsen Nov 2012

Gay Parenthood And The Revolution Of The Modern Family: An Examination Of The Unique Barriers Confronting Gay Adoptive Parents, Nicholas Arntsen

Nicholas Benedict Arntsen

Abstract: In recent decades, the structure of the American family has been revolutionized to incorporate families of diverse and unconventional compositions. Gay and lesbian couples have undoubtedly played a crucial role in this revolution by establishing families through the tool of adoption. Eleven adoptive parents from the state of Connecticut were interviewed to better conceptualize the unique barriers gay couples encounter in the process adoption. Both the scholarly research and the interview data illustrate that although gay couples face enormous legal barriers, the majority of their hardship comes through social interactions. As a result, the cultural myths and legal restrictions …


Profundizando La Igualdad Desde La Orientación Sexual: A Propósito De La Sentencia De La Corte Interamericana De Derechos Humanos Del Caso Karen Atala E Hijas Contra Chile, Beatriz Ramirez, Jeannette Llaja May 2012

Profundizando La Igualdad Desde La Orientación Sexual: A Propósito De La Sentencia De La Corte Interamericana De Derechos Humanos Del Caso Karen Atala E Hijas Contra Chile, Beatriz Ramirez, Jeannette Llaja

Beatriz Ramirez

La sentencia de la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos en el caso Karen Atala e hijas contra Chile constituye un precedente jurisprudencial importante para la región el que se interpretan, por primera vez, los alcances de la prohibición de discriminación por orientación sexual bajo la Convención Americana de Derechos Humanos. Este artículo analiza el pronunciamiento del Tribunal Interamericano resaltando sus aportes y criticando sus omisiones y plantea la pertinencia de los criterios allí asumidos para la práctica judicial peruana.


Penny Wise But Pound Foolish In The Heartland: A Case Study Of Decriminalizing Domestic Violence In Topeka, Kansas, Shelley Santry Feb 2012

Penny Wise But Pound Foolish In The Heartland: A Case Study Of Decriminalizing Domestic Violence In Topeka, Kansas, Shelley Santry

Shelley M. Santry

ABSTRACT Domestic violence has been present in every society that has ever existed. Oftentimes, violence against women has been not only part of a culture but also codified into its laws. As societies and nations have progressed, so too has the outcry for a structured governmental response to the problem of domestic violence. Laws have been passed by cities, states, and nations; treaties have been entered into among nations, but still the problem of domestic violence persists. In October of 2011, the city council of Topeka, KS, voted to decriminalize misdemeanor domestic violence cases. It did so in a dispute …


'We Have The Right Not To Be "Rescued"…': When Anti-Trafficking Programmes Undermine The Health And Well-Being Of Sex Workers (Peer-Reviewed), Aziza Ahmed, Meena Seshu Dec 2011

'We Have The Right Not To Be "Rescued"…': When Anti-Trafficking Programmes Undermine The Health And Well-Being Of Sex Workers (Peer-Reviewed), Aziza Ahmed, Meena Seshu

Aziza Ahmed

No abstract provided.


Respectable Queerness, Yuvraj Joshi Dec 2011

Respectable Queerness, Yuvraj Joshi

Yuvraj Joshi

This Article proposes a new theoretical framework to understand public recognition of gay people and relationships. This framework—called “respectable queerness”—suggests that public recognition of gay people and relationships is contingent upon their acquiring a respectable social identity that is actually constituted by public performances of respectability and by privately queer practices. The challenges posed by such recognition include dissonance between one’s public and private selves and fuelling moralism and entrenching divisions between different queer constituencies.


Derecho Y Diversidad Sexual: Concretando La Universalidad De Los Derechos. Principales Hallazgos Del Informe Anual De Derechos Humanos De Personas Trans, Lesbianas, Gays Y Bisexuales En El Perú 2010., Beatriz Ramirez, Soledad Arriagada Jun 2011

Derecho Y Diversidad Sexual: Concretando La Universalidad De Los Derechos. Principales Hallazgos Del Informe Anual De Derechos Humanos De Personas Trans, Lesbianas, Gays Y Bisexuales En El Perú 2010., Beatriz Ramirez, Soledad Arriagada

Beatriz Ramirez

No abstract provided.


Hiv And Women: Incongruent Policies, Criminal Consequences, Aziza Ahmed Feb 2011

Hiv And Women: Incongruent Policies, Criminal Consequences, Aziza Ahmed

Aziza Ahmed

The new agency UN WOMEN must play an active role in the standardization of laws and policies at the global and national level where their incongruence has negative and often criminal consequences for the health and lives of women and girls. This article focuses in on three such examples: opt-out testing for HIV, criminalization of vertical transmission, and the new World Health Organization guidelines on breastfeeding.