Law Commons^™

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

Shubhankar Dam

Because I Am, Ann M. Sasala

SURGE

Why?

“Because I am a Republican!”

Why?

“Because I am a Democrat!”

Why?

“Because I am a Christian!”

Why?

In America, religion and politics are not merely taboo dinner topics; it is strongly advised that you don’t discuss either one in nearly all situations. [excerpt]

Retrogressive Anti-Gay Law In Uganda Has Ties To The Us, Lauren Carasik

Media Presence

No abstract provided.

“Doomed Social Engineering?” Ethics And Professionalism Related To Sexual Orientation: The Florida Experience, Robert W. Lee

Barry Law Review

No abstract provided.

Conferring Dignity: The Metamorphosis Of The Legal Homosexual, Noa Ben-Asher

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

The legal homosexual has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past three decades, culminating in United States v. Windsor, which struck down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). In 1986, the homosexual was a sexual outlaw beyond the protection of the Constitution. By 2013, the homosexual had become part of a married couple that is “deemed by the State worthy of dignity.” This Article tells the story of this metamorphosis in four phases. In the first, the “Homosexual Sodomite Phase,” the United States Supreme Court famously declared in Bowers v. Hardwick that there was no right to …

Re-Visiting Homosexuality In Cameroon: Effective Advocacy On The Path From Homophobia To Dignity And Equality, Jean Cedric Ndzomo

Master's Theses

Cameroon, one of the countries in the world that continues to criminalize homosexuality, has been on the news recently due to the torture and murder of young journalist and gay activist, Eric Ohena. This paper examines the discrimination faced by the LGBTI community in Cameroon by exploring the origins of homophobic violence, the role played by Cameroon's legal system, and the struggles of LGBTI Cameroonians in their fight for a better life. The analysis includes a review of the work by scholars on colonialism and sexuality in Africa, and questions the roots of violence and abuse against the LGBTI community …

From Romer V. Evans To United States V. Windsor: Law As A Vehicle For Moral Disapproval In Amendment 2 And The Defense Of Marriage Act, Linda C. Mcclain

Faculty Scholarship

This article considers the intertwined fates of Romer v. Evans and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which both date back to 1996. In United States v. Windsor, Justice Kennedy, writing for the majority, struck down Section 3 of DOMA, using Romer as a template. This article reflects on Romer as it bears on the use of law as a vehicle to express morality, in particular, “moral disapproval of homosexuality” and moral approval -- and the defense and nurture -- of “traditional, heterosexual marriage.” Proponents of Amendment 2 (struck down in Romer, in an opinion written by Justice Kennedy) and …

The Persecution Of Homosexuals During The Holocaust, Jennifer Rokakis

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

Western Universalism And African Homosexualties, Nicholas Kahn-Fogel

Faculty Scholarship

This article draws on original historical research, queer theory, communitarian philosophy, and an array of anthropological sources to suggest that efforts by Western liberals to protect practitioners of same-sex intimate conduct in Africa may be relatively unsuccessful and could further endanger the intended beneficiaries of advocacy.

Is Green A Part Of The Rainbow? Sharia, Homosexuality And Lgbt Rights In The Muslim World, Javaid Rehman, Eleni Polymenopoulou

Fordham International Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Romer V. Evans: Gay Americans Find Shelter After Stormy Legal Odyssey, Gary Alan Collis

Pepperdine Law Review

No abstract provided.

Sex, Money, And Groups: Free Speech And Association Decisions In The October 1999 Term, Kathleen M. Sullivan

Pepperdine Law Review

No abstract provided.

Disentangling Symmetries: Speech, Association, Parenthood, Laurence H. Tribe

Pepperdine Law Review

No abstract provided.

See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil; Stemming The Tide Of No Promo Homo Laws In American Schools, Madelyn Rodriguez

Madelyn Rodriguez

In several states, and many more local governments, teachers are being mandated to teach their students that homosexuality is inherently abhorrent and should be shunned. These so called “No Promo Homo” policies vary in scope; from those barring any positive discussion of homosexuality to those which insinuate the association of homosexuality with various social ills. As a result of these policies, teachers are being used as a conduit for misinformation and, more disturbingly, for discrimination and bias. Because teachers naturally have an immense impact on their students, the concepts and values advocated or discouraged by them will have an immeasurable …

Representing Identities: Legal Treatment Of Pregnancy And Homosexuality, Dan Danielsen

Dan Danielsen

This article explores some of the ways in which judges treat pregnancy and homosexuality in discrimination cases. In examining some of these cases, I map some of the doctrinal maneuvers and political strategies which courts employ in representing these traits, and explicate some of the images of gender or sexual identity which the judicial opinions contain. My sense is that looking critically and systematically at the complex and multiple modes in which judges represent pregnancy and homosexuality may improve our capacity for understanding for legal doctrine's potential to embody richer and more satisfying conceptions of selves or identities.

Is False Imputation Of Being Gay, Lesbian, Or Bisexual Still Defamatory? The Arkansas Case, Jay Barth

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

Falsely identifying someone as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) has historically been defamation per se in American courts. In modern times, however, courts have become conflicted as to whether a false imputation of a person as LGB is defamatory. Accordingly, this article examines the roots of defamation law as it relates to sexual minorities, and then examines questions regarding the defamatory status of false identification of another as LGB, whether community or national standards should drive such a determination, and finally, to what degree is any legal recognition of harm to reputation for being LBG a perpetuation of the status …

Modern Marriage And Judgmental Liberalism: A Reply To George, Girgis, And Anderson, Matthew L. Clemente

Matthew L. Clemente

State by state, cantankerous debates about same-sex marriage continue to capture headlines. The outcome of these debates has not only changed the political landscape in United States but has also impacted public policy and legal theory. However, the same-sex marriage debate raises a more fundamental philosophical question—why is the state involved in marriage in the first place? I argue that the best answer to this question is that marriage plays a vital role in modern Western democracies. The right of marriage stems from its social function of habituating the character traits that are essential to effective democratic citizenship.

The standard …

Queer Cases Make Bad Law, James C. Hathaway, Jason Pobjoy

Articles

The Refugee Convention, now adopted by 147 states, is the primary instrument governing refugee status under international law. The Convention sets a binding and nonamendable definition of which persons are entitled to recognition as refugees, and thus to enjoy the surrogate or substitute national protection of an asylum state. The core of the article 1A(2) definition provides that a refugee is a person who has a “well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership of a particular social group.” A person is thus a refugee, and entitled to the non-refoulement and other protections …

Respecting Freedom And Cultivating Virtues In Justifying Constitutional Rights, Linda C. Mcclain, James E. Fleming

Faculty Scholarship

What’s new in the long-standing debate between civic republicans and liberals about how best to understand and justify rights? This article picks up the thread with political philosopher Michael Sandel’s recent, internationally-renowned book, Justice: What’s the Right Thing To Do? The article evaluates the sharp contrasts his book draws between justice as cultivating virtues and justice as respecting freedom, using his example of contemporary arguments for and against opening up civil marriage to same-sex couples. Sandel contends that “liberal neutrality” and a public square denuded of religious arguments and convictions are impossible on this issue. Drawing on Aristotle, he contends …

“Gen Silent”: Advocating For Lgbt Elders, Nancy J. Knauer

Nancy J. Knauer

This article provides a general introduction to the specific challenges facing LGBT elders. In addition to the general burdens of aging, LGBT elders are disadvantaged by a number of LGBT-specific concerns, most notably: the legal fragility of their support systems, high levels of financial insecurity compounded by ineligibility for spousal benefits, and the continued prevalence of anti-LGBT bias on the part of their non-LGBT peers and service providers. Part I outlines the ways in which LGBT elders differ from their non-LGBT peers in terms of demographics and their reliance on “chosen family,” as well as some of the particular issues …

What Did Jesus Do: Answering Religious Conservatives Who Oppose Bullying Prevention Legislation, Daniel B. Weddle, Kathryn E. New

Faculty Works

Conservative Christian organizations assert that anti-bullying programs are a stealth effort by gay activists to introduce into American schools an aggressive lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) agenda. They contend that legislation and bullying prevention programs that mention gays are an attempt to indoctrinate children to embrace homosexual lifestyles; tolerate homosexual behavior; and celebrate homosexuality, bisexuality, and transgender identity. These voices are having an impact on state legislatures and the damage is immense. Educational research has made clear the devastating effects of bullying upon children, and LGBT students are among the most often targeted and least protected students. Given that schools …

The Rise And Fall Of Western Homohysteria, Eric Anderson

Journal of Feminist Scholarship

In this essay, I draw upon my pro-feminist background to describe the formulation of the concept of homohysteria and explain its heuristic utility in conceptualizing historical shifts in heterosexual men's gendered regimes. I suggest that in times of high homohysteria, heterosexual men are compelled to align their identities and behaviors with orthodox (hypermasculine) notions of men's masculinity. This is in order to avoid homosexualization. Conversely, heterosexual men retain considerably more gendered freedom in times of low or no homohysteria. I describe this as a cultural process related to homophobia and define the term homohysteria as men's fear of being homosexualized, …

Straight Is Better: Why Law And Society May Legitimately Prefer Heterosexuality, George W. Dent

Faculty Publications

America is embroiled in a culture war over homosexuality. The homosexual movement demands the end of “heteronormativity” - the social and legal preference for heterosexuality. It insists that “Gay Is Good” - just as good as heterosexuality. This article presents a defense of heteronormativity; it argues that straight is better. In particular, it argues that naturally conceiving, bearing and raising children is intrinsically good for parents; that it is both intrinsically and instrumentally good for children to be raised by their biological parents who are married to each other; and that traditional marriage is both intrinsically and instrumentally good for …

Privacy Torts: Unreliable Remedies For Lgbt Plaintiffs, Anita L. Allen

All Faculty Scholarship

In the United States, both constitutional law and tort law recognize the right to privacy, understood as legal entitlement to an intimate life of one’s own free from undue interference by others and the state. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (“LGBT”) persons have defended their interests in dignity, equality, autonomy, and intimate relationships in the courts by appealing to that right. In the constitutional arena, LGBT Americans have claimed the protection of state and federal privacy rights with a modicum of well-known success. Holding that homosexuals have the same right to sexual privacy as heterosexuals, Lawrence v. Texas symbolizes the …

Preventing The Spread Of Aids By Restricting Sexual Conduct In Gay Bathhouses: A Constitutional Analysis, Stephen L. Collier

Golden Gate University Law Review

This analysis of the state's authority to limit sexual behavior in gay bathhouses will begin by examining the precedents involving the use of quarantine and nuisance statutes to control the spread of communicable diseases. A discussion of common law limitations on the use of those statutes will follow. The constitutional analysis begins with the right to privacy embodied in the United States and California Constitutions, and its relationship to gay sexual intimacy generally. The application of rational basis and strict scrutiny standards will be analyzed and arguments presented in favor of applying strict scrutiny. The state's compelling interest in stopping …

Adult Adoption: A "New" Legal Tool For Lesbians And Gay Men, Peter N. Fowler

Golden Gate University Law Review

This Comment explores the current statutory framework for adult adoption, the parameters of the legal relationship created, and the scope of the right to privacy issues involved in the exercise of this statutory right. In addition, possible motives individuals may have for utilizing adult adoption, the need for attorneys to identify potential problem areas for their clients, and the potential disadvantages of such a legal relationship, particularly with respect to the dynamics of the individuals' relationship, are discussed.

Homophobia, "Manifest Homosexuals" And Political Activity: A New Approach To Gay Rights And The "Issue" Of Homosexuality, Douglas Warner

Golden Gate University Law Review

This Comment will survey the popular and largely unsupportable beliefs about homosexuality, which result in the societal oppression of gay people. The law's reflection of this cultural homophobia has been instrumental in that oppression. In light of the homophobia in society and its consequences in the law, the GLSA court's approach was necessary, its results consistent with contemporary knowledge and with fundamental principles of a just society. The purpose of this Comment is to demonstrate why that is so and to speculate on the decision's implications for the gay rights movement, for gay people, and not least of all, for …

Comparative Study Of Cruel & Unusual Punishment For Engaging In Consensual Homosexual Acts (In International Conventions, The United States And Iran), Sanaz Alasti

Annual Survey of International & Comparative Law

This article undertakes a comparative study of cruel and unusual punishment for consensual homosexual acts, in the United States and Iran, based on the prohibition of these punishments in international conventions. The primary object of this paper is to establish that the criminalization of consensual homosexual acts is arbitrary and as capricious as punishing other minorities. Furthermore, criminalization contradicts the object and purpose of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and virtually every other law concerning sexual minorities. This article is further motivated by the novelty and necessity of the topic. Surprisingly little research has been done focusing on this …

South Carolina's Sexual Conduct Law After Lawrence V. Texas, Marghretta Adeline Hagood

South Carolina Law Review

No abstract provided.

Common Law Same-Sex Marriage, Peter Nicolas

Peter Nicolas

In this manuscript, I demonstrate that, with the extension of the right to marry to same-sex couples in Iowa, the District of Columbia, and New Hampshire (all states that recognize common law marriage), there now exists the possibility that—for the first time in the United States—a same-sex couple may enter into a legally recognized common law marriage.

In the manuscript, I first show, as a doctrinal matter, that same-sex couples have the right to enter into common law marriages in each of these jurisdictions, and I explain and compare the criteria for entering into common law marriages in each of …