Law and Gender Commons^™

Lawrence And Garner: The Love (Or At Least Sexual Attraction) That Finally Dared Speak Its Name, Paris R. Baldacci

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article examines the legal evolution from *Bowers v. Hardwick* to Lawrence v. Texas, highlighting how the latter marked a pivotal shift in recognizing LGBTQ+ rights by emphasizing personal autonomy and dignity. It underscores the significance of narrative strategies in shaping judicial decisions, particularly in *Lawrence*, where the plaintiffs' personal stories influenced the Court's ruling.

Introducing Lawrence V. Texas: Some Background And A Glimpse Of The Future, Edward Stein

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article explores the landmark Supreme Court case Lawrence v. Texas (2003), which overturned the Court's earlier decision in Bowers v. Hardwick and struck down a Texas sodomy law criminalizing consensual same-sex intimacy. The ruling significantly advanced LGBTQ+ rights by affirming privacy rights under the Due Process Clause and laying groundwork for future equal protection challenges to laws discriminating based on sexual orientation. The decision's implications extend beyond privacy rights, influencing debates on same-sex marriage, adoption, and other areas of sexual orientation discrimination.

How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying (Cases): Gender Stereotypes And Sexual Harassment Since The Passage Of Title Vii, Miriam A. Cherry

All Faculty Scholarship

This Article, which is part of a symposium on the 40th Anniversary of Title VII appearing in the Hofstra Labor and Employment Law Journal, evaluates the progress of women in the workforce by critically analyzing the musical "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." Written in the early 1960s and made into a 1967 movie, How to Succeed follows the adventures of J. Pierrepont Finch, a window washer who, with the aid of a sarcastic self-help book, schemes his way up the corporate ladder. It also includes the sexual exploits of the exclusively male executive corps among the female …

Paradoxes Of Health And Equality: When A Boy Becomes A Girl, Noa Ben-Asher

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

Can a parent be legally required to control the gender of a child? What is the legal justification of a forced disintegration of a family? This Essay will try to address these issues, raised by an unusual legal dispute between parents who believed that they should raise their child as a girl, and a state agency that insisted on a masculine upbringing as a boy.

Queering Legal Education: A Project Of Theoretical Discovery, Kim Brooks, Debra Parkes

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

The article has two parts. Part II discusses the materials we reviewed to inform the development of a queer legal pedagogy. In particular, it examines the categories of queer legal scholarship and highlights the contributions of other outsider scholars to legal education debates. Early in our research, we found limited material on queer legal pedagogy, and we discovered nothing that posited a theoretical approach. We did, however, find rich resources written by other outsiders to law from which some design principles for queer legal pedagogy might be drawn. We should note at the outset that our goal in this Part …

Divorcing Marriage From Procreation – Goodridge V. Department Of Public Health Case, Jamal Greene

Faculty Scholarship

Public debate about same-sex marriage has spectacularly intensified in the wake of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court's decision in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health. But amid the twisted faces, shouts, and murmurs surrounding that decision, a bit of old-fashioned common-lawmaking has been lost. Some have criticized the Goodridge court for its apparently result-oriented approach to the question of whether, consistent with the Massachusetts Constitution, the commonwealth may deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Others have defended the decision, both on the court's own rational basis terms and on other grounds, including sex discrimination and substantive due process. This …

The Domesticated Liberty Of Lawrence V. Texas, Katherine M. Franke

Faculty Scholarship

In this Commentary, Professor Franke offers an account of the Supreme Court's decision in Lawrence v. Texas. She concludes that in overruling the earlier Bowers v. Hardwick decision, Justice Kennedy does not rely upon a robust form of freedom made available by the Court's earlier reproductive rights cases, but instead announces a kind of privatized liberty right that affords gay and lesbian couples the right to intimacy in the bedroom. In this sense, the rights-holders in Lawrence are people in relationships and the liberty right those couples enjoy does not extend beyond the domain of the private. Franke expresses …

Langan V. St. Vincent’S Hospital, Emily Stein

NYLS Law Review

No abstract provided.

Paradoxes Of Health And Equality: When A Boy Becomes A Girl, Noa Ben-Asher

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)

In the fall of 2000, six-year-old male Zachary from a small town in Ohio, claimed that s/he was a girl and requested, from now on, to be called Aurora. When the child's parents honored this unusual wish and made efforts to make official the child's feminine identity, the case turned into a custody battle between the parents and the state of Ohio. Although the child was occasionally treated as a girl at home from the age of two, the attempt to register the child in public school as a girl motivated the state dissolution of this family. At the …

Lawrence V. Texas: When "Profound And Deep Convictions" Collide With Liberty Interests, Nancy J. Knauer

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article examines the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Lawrence v. Texas, which overturned Bowers v. Hardwick and invalidated a Texas sodomy law criminalizing same-sex intimacy. The author argues that Lawrence not only advanced individual liberty interests but also marked a significant shift in the legal and cultural recognition of homosexuality, moving beyond earlier frameworks that criminalized or marginalized gay individuals. The decision reflects broader societal changes in understanding same-sex relationships and challenges the use of moral disapproval as a basis for legal restrictions on consensual adult conduct.

Is Incest Next?, Brett H. Mcdonnell

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article examines whether the Supreme Court's decision in Lawrence v. Texas, which invalidated sodomy laws, might lead to the legalization of consensual adult incest. While the decision could theoretically create a precedent for challenging incest laws, the author argues that such an outcome is unlikely due to significant legal, social, and political differences between sodomy and incest.

The Shag-A-Delic Supreme Court: "Anal Sex," "Mystery," "Destiny," And The "Transcendent" In Lawrence V. Texas, Richard D. Mohr

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article critiques Justice Anthony Kennedy's majority opinion in Lawrence v. Texas for its lack of clarity and robust constitutional framework. While the decision overturned Texas's sodomy law, the author argues that Kennedy's reasoning conflated liberty and equality rights, relied on vague language, and failed to establish a clear legal standard, undermining its potential to provide strong protection for LGBTQ+ rights.

The Missing Word In Lawrence V. Texas, Ruthann Robson

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article critiques the Supreme Court's decision in Lawrence v. Texas for omitting a crucial acknowledgment: an apology for the harm caused by its previous ruling in Bowers v. Hardwick. While Lawrence overturned the unconstitutional sodomy law, the Court's opinion neglected to address the profound suffering and discrimination endured by LGBTQ+ individuals due to *Bowers*. The author argues that an apology is essential to acknowledge the pain inflicted and to provide closure for those affected.

Choosing Liberty Over Equality And Sacrificing Both: Equal Protection And Due Process In Lawrence V. Texas, Andrew J. Seligsohn

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article critiques the Supreme Court's decision in Lawrence v. Texas, arguing that the Court's reliance on substantive due process under the Due Process Clause, rather than the Equal Protection Clause, undermines the broader equality concerns faced by the LGBTQ+ community. By prioritizing liberty over equality, the Court missed an opportunity to establish a more robust legal foundation for future LGBTQ+ rights, leaving the decision vulnerable to challenge and failing to address the systemic discrimination against gays and lesbians.

Challenging Dissent: The Ontology And Logic Of Lawrence V. Texas, Jami Weinstein, Tobyn Demarco

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article examines the Supreme Court's decision in Lawrence v. Texas, which invalidated a Texas antisodomy statute criminalizing homosexual conduct. The Court held that the statute failed rational basis review and rejected the promotion of majoritarian sexual morality as a legitimate state interest. The decision reflects a broader recognition of the fundamental right to make autonomous, private, consensual, adult sexual choices. The analysis critiques Justice Scalia's dissent, arguing that his fears about the end of morals legislation are unfounded and that laws based solely on moral disapproval lack a rational basis.

Women's Rights And Children's Rights: A Partnership With Benefits For Both, Jonathan Todres

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article "Women's Rights and Children's Rights: A Partnership with Benefits for Both" by Jonathan Todres explores the interconnectedness of women's and children's rights, arguing that while separate treaties like CEDAW and CRC are beneficial, a holistic approach combining both frameworks is essential for effective protection. It emphasizes that addressing issues like child prostitution in Thailand requires leveraging both women's and children's rights to create comprehensive solutions.

It's Not All In My Head: The Harm Of Rape And The Prison Litigation Reform Act, Deborah M. Golden

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article argues that the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA)'s requirement of a physical injury for prisoners to seek damages for mental or emotional harm creates a significant barrier for rape victims, particularly women, in pursuing justice. The author advocates for amending the PLRA to explicitly recognize rape as a compensable injury, ensuring that victims can seek redress without unnecessary procedural hurdles.

Patriarchy On Lockdown: Deliberate Indifference And Male Prison Rape, Olga Giller

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The note argues that the U.S. prison system perpetuates patriarchy and uses rape as a tool of social control, with the deliberate indifference standard under the Eighth Amendment failing to hold prison officials accountable for preventing sexual violence. It critiques the systemic failure to address prison rape, emphasizing its roots in patriarchal structures and the need for systemic change.

"On The Chastity Of Women All Property In The World Depends" : Injury From Sexual Slander In The Nineteenth Century, Lisa R. Pruitt

Indiana Law Journal

In this Article, Professor Pruitt discusses conceptions of the injury associated with defamation law, focusing in particular on sexual slander cases that were brought in the early nineteenth century, before statements that impugned a woman's chastity were deemed slander per se. During this time, women had to prove so-called "special damages" in order to state a cause of action. Courts showed some flexibility in what they recognized as constituting "special damages," even stretching to recognize pecuniary harm in damaged personal relationships. Nevertheless, courts refused to recognize injuries stemming from and related to emotional distress injuries, and they were often skeptical …

Finding Fundamental Fairness: Protecting The Rights Of Homosexuals Under European Union Accession Law, Travis J. Langenkamp

San Diego International Law Journal

In tackling the issue of sexual orientation discrimination, the European Union must make significant efforts to conform or, perhaps, eradicate incongruous legislation within Applicant Countries. The difficulty of this endeavor is two-fold: first, in terms of the number and complexity of the laws of each Applicant Country; and, second, in the absence of any detailed and systematic documentation of sexual orientation discrimination within those same Applicant Countries. Compounding, if not confounding, such legitimate endeavors are the inconsistent anti-gay legislation prevalent within the present Member States. The stakes are high for Member States and Applicant Countries alike. Thus, the European Union's …

Ifeminism, Ashlie Warnick

Michigan Law Review

Laws should be judged not by their words or intentions, but by their effects and consequences. When government enacts laws designed to benefit one group, society should judge those laws first by examining whether they have, in practice, provided a net benefit to the law's intended beneficiaries. Next, any such benefit must be weighed against the costs imposed on the rest of society. If the benefits outweigh the costs, this is a socially efficient law. Government should repeal a law when the costs it imposes outweigh its benefits. When laws do not provide a net benefit to the group they …

Sex Offender Registration And Community Notification Laws: Will These Laws Survive?, Kimberly B. Wilkins

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Freedom Of Discrimination?:The Conflict Between Public Accommodations' Freedom Association And State Anti-Discrimination Laws, 37 J. Marshall L. Rev. 125 (2003), Gregory J. Wartman

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Quandary Of Megan's Law: When The Child Sex Offender Is A Child, 37 J. Marshall L. Rev. 73 (2003), Timothy E. Wind

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Closet Becomes Darker For The Abused: A Perspective On Lesbian Partner Abuse, Marnie J. Franklin

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article argues that lesbian partner abuse is systematically overlooked in both academic discourse and legal systems, which predominantly rely on heteronormative frameworks that fail to account for same-sex relationships. This exclusion perpetuates the marginalization of abused lesbians, who face unique barriers due to societal homophobia, internalized shame, and the legal system's reliance on heterosexual models of domestic violence.

Not Whistlin' Dixie: Now, More Than Ever, We Need Feminist Law Journals, Carlin Meyer

Articles & Chapters

No abstract provided.

A Bad Subject, Daria Roithmayr

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article explores the concept of the "bad subject" in legal discourse, arguing that women are often categorized as such because they do not fit the legal definition of a "good subject," which requires full autonomy and self-direction. Women's experiences, influenced by systemic oppression such as patriarchy and racism, complicate this binary, leading to their exclusion from legal protections and recognition of their agency.

Cincinnati's Addition Of Sexual Orientation To Hate Crime Sparks Controversy, Molly Mack

Public Interest Law Reporter

No abstract provided.

Supreme Court To Examine The Criminalization Of Consensual Sodomy, Kevin J. Mccloskey

Public Interest Law Reporter

No abstract provided.

The Law Is Straight And Narrow, How American Courts Define Families, Elisa Laird

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article argues that American law is inherently biased toward traditional heterosexual family structures, creating significant barriers for same-sex couples and non-traditional families seeking legal recognition and rights. The legal system's "straight and narrow" framework often excludes these families from accessing benefits and protections granted to heterosexual families, reflecting deeply entrenched religious and historical influences.