UC Davis experts: Gay marriage
The following UC Davis faculty are available to comment on various aspects of gay marriage, health and other issues.
Gay and lesbian marriage and the law
Courtney Joslin, professor of law, co-authored an amicus brief that was filed on behalf of 28 California family law professors in the litigation challenging Proposition 8. She is co-author of the 2009 book Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Family Law. She is a past staff attorney for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, where she litigated cases on behalf of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, and their families. Contact: Courtney Joslin, Law, (415) 902-7981, cgjoslin@ucdavis.edu.
Marriage, lesbian styles, youths
Elizabeth Freeman, an associate professor of English at UC Davis, can talk about a wide variety of cultural issues including gay and lesbian marriages, weddings in American culture, butch/femme lesbians, youth culture, sex education and queer independent film. She teaches courses on race, gender and sexuality, and lesbian literature. She is the author of the 2002 book The Wedding Complex: Forms of Belonging in Modern American Culture and Time Binds: Queer Temporalities, Queer Histories (Duke UP, 2010). She was also the editor of a special issue of GLQ, "Queer Temporalities"(2007), a journal that she now serves as co-editor. Contact: Elizabeth Freeman, English, esfreeman@ucdavis.edu.
Anti-gay hate crime
Gregory Herek, a psychology professor, is a nationally recognized expert on hate crimes against gays and lesbians. He was a member of the Institute of Medicine/National Academy of Sciences Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Health Issues and Research Gaps and Opportunities, and coauthored that panel's 2011 consensus report, “The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People: Building a Foundation for Better Understanding.” He also serves as consulting editor for many academic journals including the Journal of Sex Research and the Journal of Homosexuality. His research focuses on issues of prejudice and stigma, especially as they apply to sexual orientation and HIV/AIDS. Contact: Gregory Herek, Psychology, (530) 841-6842, gmherek@ucdavis.edu.
Same-sex marriage and the initiative process
Vikram Amar, law professor and associate dean for academic affairs, argues that the power of the people to undo a California Supreme Court ruling, as Proposition 8 aimed to do, has troubling implications for minority rights in other arenas. Amar has commented on Proposition 8 for the PBS Newshour, National Public Radio's Morning Edition and All Things Considered, the Los Angeles Times, San Diego Union-Tribune and the Sacramento Bee. He is a co-author of the 2005 book, Constitutional Law: Cases and Materials. Contact: Vik Amar, School of Law, (530) 752-8808, (925) 858-8855 (cell), vdamar@ucdavis.edu.
- Karen Nikos, UC Davis News Service, (530) 752-6101, kmnikos@ucdavis.edu.
Last updated May 11, 2012
