Law Commons^™

When Freedom Is Not Free: Investigating The First Amendment's Potential For Providing Protection Against Sexual Profiling In The Public Workplace, Michele Alexandre

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

This article explores the ways in which bodily expression can constitute symbolic speech that courts should protect pursuant to the First Amendment of the Constitution. In a previous article, I referred to this type of bodily speech as "body protest."' Body protest can refer to actions that individuals undertake to assert their autonomy, identity, and freedom from societal restrictions. For women, body protest may be used "to challenge gender restrictions and to activate women-centric legal reforms."2 For example, women may express body protest through dance, dress, or performance arts. These individuals are often sexually profiled because of how they use …