Spotlight on Gender and Law: Peter Dunne presents at SLSA 2018

Press release issued: 6 April 2018

On 28 March Peter Dunne, Lecturer in Law, presented at the annual conference of the Socio-Legal Studies Association (SLSA), which took place at the University of Bristol this year from 26-28 March 2018.

Peter Dunne, whose research interests lie at the intersection of law, gender and sexuality, spoke on a panel dedicated to transgender rights. Other panel members included Jess Smith (University of Kent) and PhD candidate Nic Shall, from the Centre for Gender and Violence Research (University of Bristol).

In his presentation, titled "Some Families Are More Equal Than Others: Critiquing Trans Inclusion Within English Family Law", Peter discussed his ongoing and future research into the status of transgender identities within English family law, and the capacity of existing legal frameworks to accommodate gender diversity.

Among the topics explored in Peter’s presentation were the ‘welfare’ of children in transgender families, ongoing restrictions upon transgender marital rights and current policy debates around the legal recognition of gender identities outside male and female.

Peter has written extensively on proposed reforms to transgender-related laws throughout Europe, particularly within the United Kingdom (see, for example, here and here). He has recently published an article (Social and Legal Studies, 2016) addressing controversies surrounding transgender inclusion/exclusion within women-only space. At the University of Bristol, Peter lectures on issues such as transgender reproductive justice and intersex.

Reflecting on SLSA 2018, Peter noted that the conference was “an incredible opportunity to discuss and debate contemporary issues relating to gender and law.”

One hundred years after (some) women obtained the right to vote in the United Kingdom, many of the speakers at SLSA 2018 were critically engaging with what that might meant for women in this country and the extent to which women’s voices remain marginalised within legal and political discourse.

Further information

Peter Dunne is a lecturer in law, teaching in the areas of family law, European Union law and medical law. His research interests focus broadly on human rights, family law and comparative law, with a particular interest in gender, sexuality and law.

Vote 100 Find out more about our Vote 100 series, which highlights and celebrates women in law, the Law School’s Gender and Law research, and the achievements of academics, alumni, students and others that have supported the growth of the school.