Description
This course examines issues in the field of sexual orientation law from a comparative law perspective. The course will explore ways in which different legal systems regulate sexuality, sexual identity, and expressions of identity. With a focus on approaches in Canada and the United States (while, at times, reflecting on experiences in other jurisdictions and on international norms), this course will address selected issues involving sexual orientation, such as non-traditional family (e.g., marriage, domestic partnership, gay and lesbian parenting); government and sexuality (e.g., criminalization of sodomy, hate-crime law, issues of health, education and immigration); and the different approaches to protecting sexual minorities through constitutional and statutory law (e.g., public employment, exclusion from the military or security positions, and private sector discrimination). The course will also look at the resolution of competing claims for constitutional and statutory protection (e.g., sexual orientation claims in competition with religion claims) and at the particular complications for individuals and groups in a multiple-minority position.
