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The Center for Gender & Sexuality Law

Mission

The Center for Gender and Sexuality Law's mission is to formulate new approaches to complex issues facing gender and sexual justice movements.  

Founded by Professor Katherine Franke with co-director Professor Suzanne Goldberg, The Center for Gender and Sexuality Law has established Columbia Law School as the preeminent law school for the study of and specialization in the law of gender and sexuality. The Center is the base for many research projects and initiatives focused on issues of gender, sexuality, reproductive rights, bodily autonomy, and gender identity and expression in law, policy, and professional practice.

A core focus of the Center's work is to provide students with opportunities to supplement their curricular learning through lectures, panel discussions, conferences, and guest speaker series on a multitude of contemporary issues regarding Gender and Sexuality Law, including civil rights, bodily autonomy and reproductive justice, the rights of transgender, nonbinary and gender non-conforming persons, the rights and experiences of intersex persons, and gender norms in public space.

The Center for Gender & Sexuality Law is committed, too, to supporting the Columbia Law School alumni community. All of our events are free and open to the public, and we offer several CLE programs each year to Columbia Law School alums and the New York City legal community. Check out our Events and Programs page to learn more about past and upcoming events.

Faculty and Staff

Faculty and Staff

The Center's team is comprised of Faculty Director Katherine Franke, Assistant Director Lilia Hadjiivanova and Racial Justice and Policy Director Candace Bond-Theriault. Learn more about the Center's Faculty and Staff.

Visiting Scholars

The Center also hosts Visiting Scholars at Columbia Law School, as Faculty in Residence, and as part of Columbia Law School's Visiting Scholars program. Learn more about our current visiting scholars and the application process to be a visiting scholar or faculty member in residence, at the Center for Gender & Sexuality Law's Visiting Scholars page.

Events and Programs

Events and Programs

The Center for Gender & Sexuality Law supports a wide range of events and programs at Columbia Law School, Columbia University, and in the New York City community. Learn more about our recent and upcoming events and programs on our Events and Programs page.

Resources for Students

The Center for Gender & Sexuality Law is pleased to support student programming at Columbia Law School, and to mentor student leaders and student organizations in developing and hosting their own programs focused on issues of gender, sexuality, reproductive justice, civil rights, and social justice. The Center also offers opportunities for Columbia Law School students to work as Research Assistants with Professor Katherine Franke and the Law, Rights, and Religion Project. 

Scholarship

The Sexuality and Gender Law Clinic

The Center for Gender & Sexuality Law works closely with the Sexuality and Gender Law Clinic, which is part of the Experiential Learning program at Columbia Law School.

Courses and Curriculum

The Center for Gender & Sexuality Law is pleased to host syllabi for several courses on issues of Gender Justice, Social Movement Lawyering, and Racial Justice Advocacy online for the public to access. Learn more about specific courses at Columbia Law School on the Center for Gender & Sexuality Law's Curriculum page.

The Law, Rights, and Religion Project

The Center works closely, too, with the Law, Rights, and Religion Project, a law and policy think tank founded by Professor Katherine Franke in 2014 that promotes social justice, freedom of religion, and religious plurality. The mission of the Law, Rights, and Religion Project is to ensure that laws and policies reflect the understanding that the right to free exercise of religion protects all religious beliefs and communities, including non-believers; requires respect for religious plurality and equality principles; and must be balanced against other liberty and equality rights where they are in conflict. 

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) Project

The ERA Project at Columbia Law School’s Center for Gender and Sexuality Law is a law and policy think tank established in January 2021 to develop academically rigorous research, policy papers, expert guidance, and strategic leadership on the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the U.S. Constitution, and on the role of the ERA in advancing the larger cause of gender-based justice.

The ERA Project does not engage in lobbying, but instead develops academic, legal and policy expertise to support efforts to expand protections for gender-based equality and justice.

Contact Us

Contact Details and Media Inquiries

We welcome you to contact us if you have any questions about our work, events, and programs, or if you are a journalist seeking for insights or comments on contemporary issues regarding gender and sexuality law, reproductive rights, and civil rights issues from our team. 

Mailing List

The Center for Gender & Sexuality Law sends out a newsletter on a weekly basis with information about current research, upcoming events and programs, and opportunities for students and scholars. Keep up to date on the latest information from the Center for Gender & Sexuality Law via our Mailing List.

Social Media

The Center for Gender & Sexuality Law is active on Social Media, engaging Twitter, Facebook, Medium, and our Blog to share information of interest, videos, photos, and highlights from our programs. We also use these platforms to share links to external events and programs of interest to our constituencies. Learn more about the Center's Social Media.

Support

Support the Center for Gender & Sexuality Law

The Center for Gender & Sexuality Law relies on the support of grantors and alumni to fund our continued research, programming, and operations. Learn more about how you can make a gift to the Center for Gender & Sexuality Law in support of our work.