Sexuality and the Law

Sketches of the 2017 Grand Moot by artist Tanya Murdoch

Did you miss the 2017 Grand Moot? Watch the video online!

The 2017 University of Toronto Faculty of Law Grand Moot took place on Thursday, September 28. The problem dealt with "Assisted Human Reproduction and the Charter". The panel consisted of:

In a commentary in the Toronto Star, SJD student and Pierre Elliott Trudeau Scholar Daniel Del Gobbo writes about rethinking the way that the law handles sexual violence and introducing the option of a restorative justice process ("In cases of sexual violence, justice can come from outside the courts," July 25, 2017).

Read the full commentary on the Toronto Star website, or below.

Two SJD candidates at the Faculty of Law are among the 15 awardees of the prominent 2017 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholarships, considered among the most prestigious graduate prizes in the country for social sciences and humanities research, and given to exceptional doctoral students in Canada.

Prof. Brenda Cossman and SJD student, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Scholar and Vanier Canada Scholar Ido Katri, have written a commentary in the Globe and Mail hailing the passage of Bill C-16, which adds protection of gender identity and expression to the Canadian Human Rights Code and the Criminal Code, but noting the amount of work still to do ("Today, trans Canadians celebrate Bill C-16. Tomorrow, the work begins for us all," June 15, 2017).

By Haim Abraham 

On December 5, 2016, Ontario’s Bill 28, termed the All Families Are Equal Act (Parentage and Related Registrations Statute Law Amendment), 2016, received royal assent. The LGBTQ+ Workshop held a session with MPP Cheri DiNovo, who tabled the Bill, and Kirsti and Jennifer Mathers McHenry, whose story prompted its legislation.

In a commentary in the Globe and Mail, Prof. Brenda Cossman discusses ways to address the issue of the large number of sexual assault complaints being dismissed by police forces as "unfounded" ("We must do better for sexual assault survivors. The answer isn’t rocket science," February 6, 2017).

Read the commentary on the Globe and Mail website, or below.

In a commentary in the Globe and Mail, Prof. Brenda Cossman discusses her experience working with Justice Robin Camp after his sexist remarks at a sexual assault trial, and argues for the value of education in overcoming sexism in the judiciary ("For Judge ‘knees together’ Camp: Education is power," December 1, 2016).

Read the full commentary on the Globe and Mail website, or below.