Nondiscrimination Policy
The University of Michigan, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University of Michigan is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, height, weight, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. Inquiries or complaints may be addressed to the Senior Director for Institutional Equity, and Title IX/Section 504/ADA Coordinator, Office of Institutional Equity, 2072 Administrative Services Building, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1432, 734.763.0235, TTY 734.647.1388. For other University of Michigan information, call 734.764.1817.
Student Organization Contact Information
OUTLaws
University of Michigan Law School
625 South State Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
E-mail: outlaws@umich.edu
Website: www.umoutlaws.org
OUTLaws' Objectives
- To add the voices of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender law students to the dialogue of the law school and university communities;
- To embrace and learn from our straight allies;
- To increase the visibility and involvement of our LGBT students of color;
- To provide a forum for gay, bisexual, transgender, and lesbian students to meet and form a community;
- To reach out to other organizations not traditionally allied with OUTLaws;
- To extend support for closeted law students;
- To keep our members informed of events and queer rights issues outside of the law school; and
- To change the world, one openly queer lawyer at a time.
Faculty Contact Information
Bruce W. Frier
Henry King Ransom Professor of Law
E-mail: bwfrier@umich.edu
James C. Hathaway
James E. and Sarah A. Degan Professor of Law
E-mail: jch@umich.edu
Administrator Contact Information
Virginia Gordan
Assistant Dean for International Affairs
Phone: 734.764.5269
E-mail: vgordan@umich.edu
Course Titles and/or Descriptions
- Sexuality and the Law—This course will examine the treatment of sexual orientation, along with related questions of sexuality and gender, in the American legal system. We will analyze in depth the major Supreme Court, circuit court, and state court decisions on marriage and relationship recognition, sexual privacy, adoption, military service, gender identity, and discrimination by state and private actors. Particular attention will be paid to the legal doctrines and theories behind these cases, especially equal protection, substantive due process, and various First Amendment freedoms. Although the course will be organized around case law, it also will include discussion and a variety of readings on related political, philosophical, and policy issues. For example: What is the "purpose" of marriage as a matter of history and political theory? If one state creates a same-sex marriage, should considerations of federalism or individual rights mean that other states must be forced to recognize it? Do laws protecting gay rights infringe on religious liberty? Should there be limits on the power of political majorities to determine minority rights? For both advocates and opponents of gay and lesbian equality, what are the pros and cons of legislative versus judicial strategies?
- Sexuality, Violence, and the Law—In this course, we will look at the relationship between sexuality and identity, and the law's relation to both. In particular, we will examine how the law treats sexual violence, understood as a form of sexuality, across a range of practices, some of them familiar (male-on-female rape, for instance, along with sexual harassment), and others less so (various forms of same-sex sexual violence that are only newly being recognized as such), and with what effects for identity production (and reform), sexual politics, and sex equality. The final grade for the course will reflect class participation and performance on a take-home final exam or, depending on class size, a final paper.
- Family Law—Legal regulation of intimate and personal relationships and activities has undergone a great deal of change in the past four decades. In this course, we will examine evolving doctrines underlying state regulation of the creation, management, and dissolution of family relationships, and of related rights and obligations of the individual. We will pay particular attention to constitutional principles that circumscribe the states' power and role in this area. We will explore how the meaning of family is shaped and contested—and how fundamental perceptions involving gender, religion, sexual orientation, class, etc., are reinforced or challenged—by the law of family relations. Topics to be covered include procreation and parenting, birth control and abortion, marriage and divorce, the rights of children, and new reproductive technologies.
- Law and Inequalities—Throughout the world, the gaps between rich and poor; gender inequality and homophobia; and racism, anti-Semitism, and Islamophobia seem to be on the rise rather than a vanishing phenomenon. To counter these trends, the EU celebrated the Year of Equal Opportunities for All in 2007 and passed a new charter of fundamental rights. Around the world, courts are confronted with complex conflicts around discrimination. In this course, we will analyze the development of laws against discrimination dealing with material from different legal systems. We will discuss various theoretical approaches to issues around discrimination from legal, social, and cultural sciences and gender studies (e.g., intimate citizenship, or intersectionality). Students will gain comparative competence and develop a deeper understanding of what law against discrimination deals with and how law shapes our understanding of gender, sexuality, race, class, age, or disability. Students will be encouraged to pursue their own research questions in their papers. This class supplements Professor MacKinnon's Sex Equality class and adds European perspectives as well as some policy questions (e.g., on gender mainstreaming and diversity management, and on current theoretical challenges such as those pertaining to intersectionality and theories of gender regimes).
- Sex Equality—Theory and practice are engaged in inquiry into the relationship between sex inequality in society and sex equality under the law. The context provided draws on social science, history, and international and comparative law. The dominant approach to legal equality is examined on its own terms and through an alternative. Concrete issues—employment discrimination, family, rape, sexual harassment, lesbian and gay rights, abortion, prostitution, and pornography—focus discussion through cases. Racism, class, and transsexuality are considered throughout. The course investigates, criticizes, and expands the law toward civil equality between the sexes.
Domestic Partnership Benefits
Other Qualified Adult (OQA)
A person who:
- Shares the same primary residence as you and has shared a residence with you for at least 6 months
- Is not eligible to inherit from you under the laws of intestate succession in the state of Michigan*
- Is not legally married to another individual
At least one of the following is true:
- Shares a joint checking account with you
- Shares a joint credit account with you
At least one of the following is true:
- You have durable power of attorney for health care for each other
- You have durable power of attorney for financial management for each other
You have designated this person as your primary beneficiary for at least one of the following:
- A life insurance contract you hold
- A retirement contract (including IRA, 401(k), 403(b), or pension plan)
- You cannot legally marry in Michigan.
* The following individuals do not fall within the eligibility criteria for OQA under the laws of intestate succession in the state of Michigan:
- Spouse
- Children and their descendents (i.e., children, grandchildren)
- Parents
- Parents' descendents (i.e., siblings, nieces, nephews)
- Grandparents and their descendents (i.e., aunts, uncles, cousins)
More information is available at Benefits Eligibility - Other Qualified Adults (OQA).
Additional Information
We welcome having students identify as LGBT in their application materials. We provide checkbox questions for both sexual
orientation and gender identity. Alternatively, we welcome a fuller discussion through a personal statement or optional essay. If
you so identify and we admit you, we will put you in touch during the recruiting process with current students who are active in
OUTLaws—one of our most lively and engaged student groups. Michigan Law is a very open and welcoming environment for
LGBT students (for example, providing and advocating for benefits for unmarried partners, establishing one of the first LGBTQ
law courses in the country, and integrating LGBTQ issues into many different curricular offerings), as is the university as a whole
(which has roughly a dozen active LGBTQ student groups), along with our host city of Ann Arbor. In addition to an active
student presence, the Michigan Law community includes several out faculty and numerous out administrators and staff, and we
have graduated numerous transgender students. We hope you'll consider Michigan for your law school education.
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