Law of Desire - Sexuality in Law and Society – Prof. Eyal Gross

In this seminar we will look at the social construction of sexuality (like “heterosexuality”, “homosexuality”, “bisexuality”) and gender identity (like “transgender”) and at the law’s role in shaping them. The seminar considers these categories and the meaning given to them in legal discourse and in the intersection of law and society. How does law partake in creating these categories and drawing the lines between them? We will read literature dealing with theories of sexuality and gender identity and on law and these issues, and international, comparative and Israeli case law dealing with sexuality and gender identity. We will look at the connections between sexuality and nationality and human rights and at globalization and the global politics of LGBT rights. We will read literature by major writers in queer theory such as Michel Foucault, David Halperin, Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, Judith Butler, Adrienne Rich, Gayle Rubin, Janet Halley and others. The case law we will read will usually deal with LGBT rights. We will consider how the case law engages with what is heterosexuality, what is homosexuality and what is sexuality in general.