Resources

Brief of the American Psychological Association in support of the claimants in the case Lawrence v Texas to decriminalise same-sex activity between consenting adults in private across the United States.

Judgment of the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe ruling that 'gender' does not cover sexual orientation and that criminalising sodomy is constitutional. The court had to decide whether the common law crime of sodomy was in conformity with Section 23 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe which guaranteed protection against discrimination on the ground of gender.

The case concerned the unlawful deportation of prominent political figures from Zambia finding violations of the complainant's rights. In its decision the African Commission on Human & Peoples’ Rights discussed the legitimate use of limitations to the provisions in the African Charter of Human and Peoples’ Rights.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights report on the admissibility of a case concerning a lesbian inmate who was refused conjugal visits from her same-sex partner. The Commission declared the case admissible and decided to continue analysing the merits of the case, including the meaning of Article 11 (right to privacy) of the American Convention on Human Rights.

Decision of the African Commission on Human & Peoples' Rights concerning legal restrictions on the Nigerian press following the annulment of elections. The Commission makes clear that international obligations take precedence over domestic law and warns against undermining the rights of specific individuals or groups.

Judgment of the Constitutional Court of South Africa confirming that the common law offence of sodomy, the inclusion of sodomy in schedules to certain Acts of Parliament, and a section of the Sexual Offences Act which prohibited sexual conduct between men in certain circumstances, were all unconstitutional.