Sexuality and the Law Commons^™

Vasquez V. Foxx: Brief Of Eighteen Scholars As Amici Curiae In Support Of Petitioners, J. J. Prescott

Appellate Briefs

Amici are eighteen scholars across six disciplines whose work includes the leading empirical studies of persons convicted of sexual offenses and the laws applied to them. The Appendix identifies them and describes their work.

Amici believe it critical that judicial decisions affecting constitutional rights be grounded on an accurate understanding of empirical realities. At the very least, they should not propagate misunderstandings. Unfortunately, such misunderstandings are commonplace and often traceable to language in early opinions of this Court. The Seventh Circuit opinion in this case is an example. It relies on mistaken assumptions about both the re-offense risks posed by …

We Are All Farkhunda: An Examination Of The Treatment Of Women Within Afghanistan's Formal Legal System, Ashley Lenderman

Indiana Journal of Constitutional Design

In this paper, I will examine three cases of violence against women that went through the Afghan formal legal system: the case of Farkhunda, the Paghman district gang rape case, and the case of Sahar Gul. In the first Part, I will discuss the formal legal system framework on which the cases are based. In the second Part, I will discuss the cases in detail. In the third Part, I will describe neo-liberal, reformist, and neo-fundamentalist approaches to interpretation of Islamic law, and I will then draw out pieces of the decisions from the three cases that closely match these …

Lying About God (And Love?) To Get Laid: The Case Study Of Criminalizing Sex Under Religious False Pretense In Hong Kong, Jianlin Chen

Cornell International Law Journal

Section 120 of the Hong Kong Crimes Ordinances— which traces its origin to the U.K. and which is replicated in several other English common law jurisdictions— criminalizes procurement of sexual acts through false representation. Recently, prosecutors used this provision to indict individuals who procured sexual acts on the pretext of performing luck-improving religious rituals. Beyond presenting the first-ever systematic examination of these intriguing fraudulent sex court cases, this Article makes two arguments. First, this Article explains how the strong skepticism, and at times, instinctive rejection by the judges of the purported religious proclamations not only confirm the scholarly concerns over …

Kevin Vallier And Michael Weber: Religious Exemptions, Edward A. Zelinsky

Articles

No abstract provided.

Emerging Best Practices For The Management And Treatment Of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, And Intersex Youth In Juvenile Justice Settings, Brenda V. Smith, Hayley Gorenberg, J. Rhodes Perry, Lisa Belmarsh, Shaena Johnson, Steven Jett, Rebecca Walters, Macarena Saez, Dana Shoenberg, Terry Schuster, Josh Delaney, Karen Bachar, Mykel Selph, Mark Seymour, Sharita Gruberg, Chris Daley, Mark Yarhouse

Research Reports & White Papers

In 2016 according to the U.S. Department of Justice, 856,130 youth were arrested and 45,567 juveniles were held in 1,772 residential juvenile facilities across the country. Detained and confined youth share many characteristics: most are from poor communities and lack access to quality health care. Mental illness and sexually transmitted infections are prevalent. Compared to their non-confined counterparts, incarcerated youth also experience higher rates of substance abuse and homelessness, are educationally behind their peers, are disproportionately identified as needing special education services, and are more likely to have had traumatic experiences (including sexual and emotional abuse) and injuries including traumatic …

Preventing Sexual Harassment And Misconduct In Higher Education: How Lawyers Should Assist Universities In Fortifying Ethical Infrastructure, Susan Saab Fortney

Faculty Scholarship

The shocking reports of sexual misconduct involving Larry Nassar, the former physician at Michigan State University, captured attention worldwide. More than 300 women sued alleging that the university ignored or dismissed complaints. In Congressional testimony the former president of Michigan State apologized and noted that an independent review of the university's policies revealed that they were among the most robust that the consultants had seen. This raises the question as to how sexual misconduct could have gone unaddressed for many years. The answer to this question may be found in a 2018 Consensus Report of the National Academies of Sciences, …

The Modern-Day Scarlet Letter: Erasing The Scar Of Non-Consensual Pornography Through Affirmative Consent, Jennifer Esposito

Journal of Law and Policy

Most have heard the phrase “revenge pornography” via the various websites that have infiltrated the internet for the sole purpose of posting this type of content. Not only do these websites display photos and videos of the victim in their most intimate moments, but they also often include names, addresses, phone numbers, and other identifying information. While many people know what revenge pornography is, they are completely unaware of the devastating impact that revenge pornography has on victims, the majority of which are women. As a result of revenge pornography, victims often suffer from mental illnesses (depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, …

Speech-And-Display Laws: Balancing Physicians' Free Speech Rights And States' Interests In The Context Of Abortion, Emily Ruppert

Journal of Law and Policy

“The question is not pro-abortion or anti-abortion, the question is who makes the decision: a woman and her physician, or the government.” – Gloria Steinem

Genderfucking Non-Disclosure: Sexual Fraud, Transgender Bodies, And Messy Identities, Florence Ashley

Dalhousie Law Journal

If I don't tell you that I was assigned male at birth, as a transgender person, can I go to jail for sexual assault by fraud? In some jurisdictionslike England or Israel, the answer is: yes. Previous arguments against this criminalisation have focused on the realness of trans people's genders: since trans men are men and trans women are women, it is not misleading for them to present as they do. Highlighting the limitationsofthis position, which doesn't fully account for the messiness ofgendered experiences, the author puts forward an argument against the criminalisation of (trans)gender history non-disclosure rooted in privacy. …

A Reflection On The Recent Nigerian Legislation Against Same Sex Marriage Vis-À-Vis Rising Gay Activism In The Western World, Larry O. C. Chukwu

Brigham Young University Journal of Public Law

The Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act recently enacted by Nigeria criminalizes marriage or civil union between persons of the same sex; solemnization of same sex marriage or civil union or witnessing, aiding or abetting the same; registration, operation, membership or support of gay clubs; pub lic show of same sex amorous relationship and related matters. Each of these offences attracts a long term of imprisonment. The Act was enacted in bold defiance of threats of economic and political sanctions by the Western powers against any developing cou ntry that enacts anti - gay legislation. This paper analyzes the Act against …

A Reflection On The Recent Nigerian Legislation Against Same Sex Marriage Vis-À-Vis Rising Gay Activism In The Western World, Stephen L. West

Brigham Young University Journal of Public Law

The Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act recently enacted by Nigeria criminalizes marriage or civil union between persons of the same sex; solemnization of same sex marriage or civil union or witnessing, aiding or abetting the same; registration, operation, membership or support of gay clubs; pub lic show of same sex amorous relationship and related matters. Each of these offences attracts a long term of imprisonment. The Act was enacted in bold defiance of threats of economic and political sanctions by the Western powers against any developing cou ntry that enacts anti - gay legislation. This paper analyzes the Act against …

Section 7: Civil Rights, Institute Of Bill Of Rights Law, William & Mary Law School

Supreme Court Preview

No abstract provided.

Trafficking Technology: A Look At Different Approaches To Ending Technology-Facilitated Human Trafficking, David Barney

Pepperdine Law Review

In 2018, many believe that slavery is an antiquated concept. But as with anything else, if it has not become extinct, it has evolved with time. Human trafficking is no different. Each year, millions of men, women and children are trafficked in the United States, and internationally, and forced to work against their will. Through the rise of technology and an increasingly globalized world, traffickers have learned to use technology as a tool to help facilitate the trafficking of persons and to sell those victims to others they never could have reached before. But what are we doing about it? …

Leveraging Regional Human Rights Mechanisms Against Universal Human Rights: The Oic Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission Study On Sexual Orientation, Robert C. Blitt

William & Mary Law Review Online

This article critically assesses a recent study on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) prepared by the Organization for Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC). The first two parts review the establishment of the IPHRC and the norms governing regional human rights mechanisms (RHRMs). Following this, the article demonstrates that the methodology and conclusions evidenced in the IPHRC’s SOGI study diametrically oppose substantive international human rights law, and furthermore undermine the intended purpose of RHRMs within the human rights system. The article concludes by recommending that human rights advocates and others clearly and publicly call out these …

Motherhood, Abortion, And The Medicalization Of Women’S Poverty, Michelle Oberman

Faculty Publications

This article considers the impact of laws and policies that determine who experiences unplanned pregnancy, who has abortions, and how economic status shapes one’s response to unplanned pregnancy. There is a well-documented correlation between abortion and poverty: poor women have more abortions than do their richer sisters. Equally well-documented is the correlation between unplanned pregnancy and poverty. Finally, the high cost of motherhood for poor women and their offspring manifests in disproportionately high lifelong rates of poverty, ill-health and mortality for offspring and mothers, alike. Read together, these factors offer a vivid illustration of the medicalization of poverty.

Sexual Orientation Discrimination Under Title Vii: The Promising Road Ahead, Sydney Wright

Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Consideration Of Male Victims Of Sexual Violence As A Subset Of The Particular Social Group “Homosexual” In Adjudicating Asylum Claims, Christiana Desrosiers

Pace International Law Review

This Article analyzes the difficulties African male victims of sexual violence experience when seeking asylum in homophobic host countries and the lack of attention they receive from international and national governments and organizations. It concludes by recommending that male victims of sexual violence be able to seek asylum in host countries due to lack of medical care that they receive in their countries on account of imputed homosexual status.

Reorienting The Rules Of Evidence, Gillian R. Chadwick

Cardozo Law Review

Latent heterosexism is deeply engrained in the common sensibility of the American legal system. In sexual assault cases, that latent heterosexism reveals itself in disparate admissibility rulings and practices regarding evidence that purports to demonstrate a defendant's sexual orientation. When defendant and victim are of the same gender, evidence that a defendant is straight is used to prove innocence, while evidence that a defendant is gay or bisexual is used to prove guilt. This evidence is used to advance narratives invoking anti-gay and anti-bisexual stereotypes of deviance and criminality. Similar arguments are not made in cases involving opposite-gender defendant and …

Legitimacy And Protection Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination Under Title Vii, Matt Snodgrass

Indiana Law Journal

Until relatively recently federal courts have held that claims of discrimination based in sexual orientation fall beyond the purview of Title VII protection. Even after the landmark holding in Price Waterhouse that recognized discrimination based in sex stereotypes and subsequent amendment to Title VII, courts resisted “bootstrapping” sexual orientation claims with sex discrimination claims. The result has been a number of puzzling outcomes—for example, extending Title VII protection to gay men who received adverse employment treatment due to stereotypically “effeminate” mannerism but not to gay men who meet cultural standards of masculinity— rigidly applying the structure of protected categories in …

Gender In The Context Of Same-Sex Divorce And Relationship Dissolution, Suzanne A. Kim, Edward D. Stein

Articles

This article identifies ways that judges, lawyers, researchers, and policy makers may attend to the role of gender and gender dynamics facing same-sex couples upon divorce or other relationship dissolution. When same-sex couples marry, the legal system and society at large may project conceptions of gender onto same-sex couples, often in a manner that conflicts with couples’ intentions and practices. Gender and gender dynamics may affect the bases for dissolution, the financial aspects of dissolution, and the determination of child custody. The article also suggests directions for future research on the impact of gender on the dissolution of same-sex relationships.