The Applicants were the South African Human Rights Commission and a coalition of 70 organizations representing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in South Africa. They brought a constitutional challenge to various statutory provisions in South Africa criminalizing homosexual acts. The Applicants claimed that the statutes in question violated sections 9, 10 and 14 of …Read more

Laskey (L), Jaggard (J) and Brown (B) had taken part in sado-masochistic encounters with as many as forty-four other homosexual men over a ten-year period. These mainly involved maltreatment of the genitalia and ritualistic beatings, either with the assailant’s bare hands or a variety of implements. There were instances of branding and infliction of injuries …Read more

Appellant, a federal public servant, filed a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission (“the Commission”) on September 29, 1989 regarding the government’s refusal to provide dental care insurance coverage for her same-sex partner and her partner’s child. She claimed discrimination pursuant to the Canadian Human Rights Act (“the Act”) on the grounds of sex, …Read more

Applicants X, Y and Z were all British nationals. X is a transsexual who has undergone gender reassignment surgery to become a man. He has lived with Y, as her male partner, since 1979. The couple applied jointly for, and was granted treatment by AID to allow Y to have a child Z. X was …Read more

Petitioners (supporters of Amendment 2) brought this appeal from the Colorado State Supreme Court where that court affirmed a lower court’s ruling that Amendment 2 was invalid. Amendment 2 barred the State of Colorado from enacting, adopting or enforcing anti-discrimination laws which would have protected homosexuals, gays and lesbians. Prior to Amendment 2, multiple cities …Read more

The appellants E and N, a homosexual couple who had lived together for 38 years and publicly represented themselves as partners, were denied a spousal allowance for N under section 19(1) of the federal Old Age Security Act 1985 (“Act”) solely on the basis that their relationship was of a homosexual nature and thus did …Read more

Simon Thwaites filed a complaint against the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), alleging that it discriminated against him under the Canadian Human Rights Act (CHRA) by restricting his employment because of his HIV-positive status. Thwaites enlisted in the CAF in 1980 and by 1986 had risen to the rank of master seaman, a position that primarily …Read more

The Appellant, Doe, brought this suit against the City of New York  (the City) and the City of New York Commission on Human Rights (the Commission) alleging that they breached his constitutional right to privacy. Doe filed an action with the Commission against his former employer, Delta Air Lines (Delta), alleging that Delta did not …Read more

The plaintiff brought suit for invasion of privacy against the defendant, a broadcasting company, for the failure to adequately digitize the claimant’s image in a televised show on the topic of AIDS. The plaintiff was diagnosed with AIDS in 1987. While originally depressed and in poor condition after diagnosis, the plaintiff had a turnaround in …Read more

Nicholas Toonen was a gay man, HIV/AIDS activist, and LGBT rights activist living in Tasmania. Tasmania criminalized same-sex sexual conduct among men under ss 122 and 123 its criminal code; it was the last remaining state or territory of Australia to do so, the remainder having repealed such laws. Toonen brought a communication before the …Read more