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Gender, Sexuality, and the Law

Class One: Equality Norms, Movements, and Marriage

The fight for marriage equality has a variety of antecedents--both doctrinal and political. In this unit, we will study key cases that set the terms of struggles over marriage equality in the states. Consider whether there were more effective claims that were left undeveloped--or if renewed efforts to undo the right of same-sex couples to marry will rely on different (and potentially more successful) arguments. We will also evaluate how and why marriage became a priority for a broad LGBTIQ+ movement with a variety of aims. Do the reasons for this ordering of priorities make sense, given how the struggle has been transformed in recent years?