Sexual Orientation

Landmark human rights decision to be heard by the Supreme Court of Canada

Landmark human rights decision to be heard by the Supreme Court of Canada

Next week, a longstanding dispute pitting fundamental freedoms against one another is set to be heard by the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC). Trinity Western University (TWU) is a private,...
QT v Director of Immigration: recognising overseas same-sex marriages and civil partnerships in immigration policy

QT v Director of Immigration: recognising overseas same-sex marriages and civil partnerships in immigration policy

On 25 September 2017, the Hong Kong Court of Appeal ruled that partners in overseas same-sex marriages and civil partnerships are eligible to apply for spousal dependant visas in Hong...
The Indian Supreme Court’s “Curative” Hearing in the “LGBT Case”

The Indian Supreme Court’s “Curative” Hearing in the “LGBT Case”

In 2009, the High Court of Delhi decriminalized same-sex relations between consenting adults in India, holding that Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which penalised “carnal intercourse against the...
The Indian Supreme Court Declares the Constitutional Right to Privacy

The Indian Supreme Court Declares the Constitutional Right to Privacy

2017 has been a big year for constitutional development in India. In a historic and landmark decision, a 9-judge bench of the Supreme Court pronounced that the right to privacy...
Battling for Equality: Recognizing Civil Service Benefits in Same-sex Marriages

Battling for Equality: Recognizing Civil Service Benefits in Same-sex Marriages

The struggle for LGBTQ rights remains an embryonic fight in Asia, waiting to be further developed through advocacy and legal change, amidst vocal opponents demanding the preservation of conservative values...
First in Asia – Taiwan’s Marriage Equality Ruling in Comparative and Queer Perspectives

First in Asia – Taiwan’s Marriage Equality Ruling in Comparative and Queer Perspectives

On 24 May 2017, the Constitutional Court of Taiwan issued a ruling in favour of same-sex marriage (full text in Chinese; press summary in English). The ruling gave two years...
The DUP’s Worrying Human Rights Record

The DUP’s Worrying Human Rights Record

As talks between the Conservative Party and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) continue in the UK, the DUP’s positions on human rights are of general interest. Although the Conservative Party...
The Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland on sexual orientation discrimination – justice served?

The Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland on sexual orientation discrimination – justice served?

The facts of Ashers have been set out on this Blog previously, so only a brief recap is necessary here. The respondent was a gay man who ordered a cake...
Who Benefits From India’s Move to Ban Commercial Surrogacy?

Who Benefits From India’s Move to Ban Commercial Surrogacy?

The press release on the latest draft Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill (the Surrogacy Regulation Bill) categorises India as “a surrogacy hub for couples from different countries”, but raises alarm...
LGB, T and LGBT

LGB, T and LGBT

This post reflects on a recent clarification sought by the Indian government regarding whether or not the term ‘transgender’ — as used in NALSA v Union of India — covers...
The Czech Constitutional Court Strikes Down a Ban on Individual Adoption by Registered Partners

The Czech Constitutional Court Strikes Down a Ban on Individual Adoption by Registered Partners

Last week, the Czech Constitutional Court (CCC) invalidated a statutory provision prohibiting adoption by people living in a registered partnership (Pl. ÚS 7/15). The case was decided by a plenary...
LGBT Equality in the US: Despite Obergefell Victory, the Fight Continues

LGBT Equality in the US: Despite Obergefell Victory, the Fight Continues

One year ago today, on June 26, 2015, the US Supreme Court decided Obergefell v. Hodges, in which the Court held that the US Constitution’s Fourteenth Amendment requires States to...

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