What’s wrong— or right—with focusing on “rights” (i.e., trans rights, gay & lesbian rights, abortion rights, women’s rights, equal rights, human rights) as a strategy of legal reform for women and/or LGBTQ+ people?

What’s wrong— or right—with focusing on “rights” (i.e., trans rights, gay & lesbian rights, abortion rights, women’s rights, equal rights, human rights) as a strategy of legal reform for women and/or LGBTQ+ people?

Your answer should:
Incorporate at least two (2) of our course readings from Weeks 10-15, which include:
Mogul et al, Introduction or Ch. 3 from Queer (In)Justice
Califia, “Public Sex”
Currah et. al, “Introduction” to Transgender Rights
Shah, “Policing Privacy, Migrants, and the Limits of Freedom” and/or
Spade, “What’s Wrong with Rights?”
OPTIONAL: Incorporate a third course reading of your choice OR research from your Civic Learning Group Project;
OPTIONAL: Focus on one group of people or one issue (for example, trans people or women; abortion or sex work);
Consider some of the following concepts as they relate to the prompt question and the readings you choose to answer it:
Advances, protections, and/or benefits gained though legal strategies and reforms based on equality and rights
Reasoning behind advocating for equal rights and protection from discrimination and violence for women, queer, and/or trans people
Cautions the readings raise about the limits of rights-based legal reform focused on individual rights and protections
Effectiveness & impact of rights-based legal reforms
Legal and activist strategies beyond those focused on gaining equality and individual rights/protections
Criminalization of queer and queer of color people; “criminal archetypes”
Policing of queer and queer of color people, including “quality of life” policing
Intersections between gender & sexuality and race, class, immigration status, & etc.
Norms of gender, sex, sexuality, race, class, immigration status, ability, & etc.
Sovereignty (personal/bodily, political/national/tribal)

Last Completed Projects