Inner Temple LGBTQ+ Society Lecture, 18 April 2023
In this Qualifying Session lecture, delivered in person and as a webinar, The Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG (Inner Temple Bencher), former Justice of the High Court of Australia and LGBTQ+ / human rights campaigner, outlined the long history of criminal laws against LGBTIQ people throughout England’s Empire. It has proved remarkably resistant to abolition even in recent times. Master Kirby took an active part in the formulation of the Charter of the Commonwealth of Nations 2013 and recently took part in London in celebrations of the 10th anniversary of this Charter, stating fundamental values that are agreed upon. Yet despite values of equality and non-discrimination, anti-gay laws persist in more than 30 Commonwealth countries. They exist in law and are enforced by lawyers. This presents the quandary that now faces the Commonwealth. How can advocates of change advance rigorously the espoused principles without risking the counter assertions of cultural, social and religious beliefs and undermining the value of mutual respect that holds this unique community of nations together?
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- Call to the Bar
- International Practice Panel
- Dr Ivy Williams, An Enduring Inspiration to Women Lawyers
- Gilds and Things
- The History of The Inner Temple through its Treasures
- Human Rights in Britain and France: From Thomas Becket to the French Revolution
- Law in a Time of Plague - Was the Law a Good Doctor
- Lawyers and Diplomats
- The Selden Society: John Selden and Legal History
- The Selden Society: The Fire Courts
- The Smirkes and The Inner Temple
- Treasures from the Library
- William Crashawe's Library
- Munich – Why?
- Sodomy Law, the UK’s Persisting Legacy and the Great Quandary
- Master H Meets...Again
- Have We "Had Enough of Experts"?
- Race and the Legal Profession
- Giving Judges a Voice in Democracies
- Experts: Love or Loath? The Involvement of Experts in Legal Proceedings
- The Executive and the Courts in the Constitution
- Lawyer or Politician: What is the Attorney General?
- Memory as Evidence
- Politics and the Law
- Previous Lecture Series and Speakers
- Proof in International Criminal Trials
- 'Sales' on Retention of Title Terms
- Show me the money!
- Forensic Identification from the Hand
- Brain Imaging as Evidence
- The Bar of Ireland, Brexit and the Common Law
- The History of the Law Officers
- A Public Health Approach to Equality Law
- Forensic Document Examination - The Science Today
- The Absolute Ban on Assisted Dying and Lessons from Canada
- Calling It Out: Professionals, their Regulators, Equity and Fairness
- The Limits of Fiduciary Rules
- The Predicament and Agency of Refugees
- The Role of the Medical Examiner
- The Wild and Ridiculous Doctrine of Equality
- What Does It Mean to Be Anti-Racist in a Profession Full of Privileged People?
- Assisted Dying
- Asylum and Immigration: Do Sovereign Island Nations have a Duty to Provide Refuge?
- Is it Better to Review or Monitor Terror Laws? The UK and Australian Positions Compared
- Is Our Adversarial System Fit for Purpose?
- Ukraine War: Peace-making Ahead – Traditional Methods of Accountability or New Solutions?
- Britain's Unwritten Constitution
- The Crime of Ecocide
- Global Responses to the Forcibly Displaced
- Does the Bar Need to Communicate and Market Itself More in the Modern World?
- Is Anything More Needed to Ensure Freedom of Speech?
- Is There a Case for Anonymity in Social Media?
- Is the Presumption of Innocence Alive and Well?
- Peace vs Justice
- Prison Reform
- The Rule of Law in Times of International Conflict
- Should our Constitution Protect Against Party Elected Leaders?
- Should UK Judges and ex-Judges Be Sitting in Hong Kong?
- Special Gandhi Lecture
- What Does a Master of the Bench Do?
- Frequently asked questions
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Sodomy Law, the UK’s Persisting Legacy and the Great Quandary
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