09 August 2024
Non-Binary Gender Markers in Italy?
In July, the Italian Constitutional Court recognised the existence of non-binary people for the first time in Italian history. Although the decision as such is a big step for queer rights in Italy, the Court stops halfway. In contrast to the German “Dritte Option” decision, the Court does not set clear instructions or deadlines for the Parliament. Italy’s current far-right political climate likely means non-binary gender markers will not be introduced by the Italian Parliament anytime soon. Continue reading >>
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03 August 2023
“Blood On Your Hands”
Metaphern sind nicht nur rhetorisches Stilmittel. Sie sind auch ein bedeutender Teil der Rechtswirklichkeit. Dass die Wirkungen, die sie nach sich ziehen können, sogar rechtsstaatliche und demokratische Risiken bergen, zeigt ein Blick über den Atlantik. Zooey Zephyr, Abgeordnete im US Bundesstaat Tennessee wurde ihres Rederechts beraubt, nachdem sie den Republikanischen Abgeordneten vorwarf, diese hätten 'Blut an den Händen'. Die juristische Auslegung ermöglicht gegenwärtig jedoch keinen treffenden Zugriff auf derlei Metaphern. Daher ist ein Umdenken notwendig. Continue reading >>
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03 August 2023
“Blood On Your Hands”
Metaphors are not just rhetorical devices. They are also a significant part of legal reality. A look across the Atlantic shows that the effects they can have even entail risks for the constitutional democracy. This blog posts looks at the case of Zooey Zephyr, member of the House of Representatives in Tennessee, who was stripped of her speaking rights for calling out Republicans for having 'blood on their hands'. At present, however, legal interpretation does not allow an accurate grasp of such metaphors. Therefore, a rethinking is necessary. Continue reading >>
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23 May 2023
Florida and the New Assault on LGBT Rights
On May 17, Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law a raft of bills that will dramatically change the legal landscape for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. While this marks the latest escalation of Florida's crusade against LGBT people, it is not an isolated case. As state legislative sessions across the United States draw to a close, the scope and severity of legislation regulating the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people has been unprecedented. This post maps the scope and severity of the current anti-LGBT panic across the US, contextualizes its rise, and evaluates the potential for legal protection under the current state of the law. Continue reading >>
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23 May 2023
Es steht ein Pferd auf dem Flur
Der Referentenentwurf zum Selbstbestimmungsgesetz ist da und befindet sich derzeit in der Verbände-Diskussion. Das Gesetz soll die personenstandsrechtliche Geschlechts- und Vornamensänderung erleichtern. Der Entwurf sieht auch Änderungen des Abstammungsrechts vor, die ausweislich der Gesetzesbegründung lediglich eine „Interimslösung“ sein sollen. Bei genauerer Betrachtung entpuppt sich die „Interimslösung“ jedoch als vorweggenommene Teilreform des Abstammungsrechts, mit der die Eltern-Kind-Zuordnung für queere Personen zukünftig nicht leichter, sondern schwerer, komplizierter und teurer werden würde. Es steht ein Pferd auf dem Flur – und es ist möglicherweise ein trojanisches. Continue reading >>21 February 2023
Ignorance and Evil
On 2 February 2023, the Hungarian Constitutional Court published its long-awaited decision on legal gender recognition. For the first time, the Constitutional Court reviewed the provisions introduced into the Act on Registry Procedure in late May 2020 requiring the registration of the sex at birth (instead of sex) and banning any modification to that registry entry. With its decision, the Constitutional Court chose to remain concordant with the perceived political expectations, blatantly served the interest of the government majority, and echoed their fixation of biologically determined sex. Continue reading >>17 February 2023
Incremental but Significant
On 6 February 2023, the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal ruled in favor of two transgender applicants seeking to change the gender marker on their identification cards. The Court held that the Hong Kong government’s policy unconstitutionally infringed upon their right to privacy. This is doctrinally and strategically consistent with the Court’s LGBTQ jurisprudence, which proceeds incrementally and is highly attuned to the (ever-shrinking) political space in which Hong Kong courts operate. Continue reading >>
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27 January 2023
No New Rights in Fedotova
In Fedotova and others v Russia issued on 17 January 2023, the ECtHR held that Russia had breached its positive obligation to secure the applicants’ right to respect for their private and family life under Article 8 of the Convention by failing to provide any form of legal recognition and protection for same sex couples. The ground-breaking aspect of the judgment is the clear rejection by the Court of the justifications advanced by the Contracting State. Continue reading >>
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24 January 2023
The many troubles of the Fedotova judgment
On 17 January 2023, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights ruled in Fedotova v Russia that the absence of any legal recognition and protection for same-sex couples amounts to a violation of Art. 8 of the Convention. For 30 Member States of the Council of Europe (CoE), this judgment changes nothing since their legal orders already allow same-sex couples to enter into marriage or into other forms of legally recognised relationships. For the remaining countries, however, the Fedotova judgment amounts to an external judicial pressure to change their legal landscape in a politically very sensitive area of LGBT+ rights. Fedotova is probably the most political judgment of all times. Continue reading >>
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08 July 2022