Some European Nations Ban Gays Despite Ruling of European Court
Date: December 13, 2004
Press Contact: Aaron Belkin, Director, Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military 805-893-5664
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SANTA BARBARA, CA, December 13, 2004 - A new study published in the current issue of the University of Florida Journal of Law & Public Policy discusses why some European countries retain their bans on gays and lesbians in the military despite a 1999 ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that forced Britain to lift its gay ban.
The study, titled "Homosexuality and the European Court of Human Rights: Recent Judgments Against the United Kingdom and Their Impact on Other Signatories to the European Convention of Human Rights," was written by Dr. Sameera Dalvi and commissioned by the Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military at the University of California, Santa Barbara. It is displayed with permission from the University of Florida Journal of Law Public Policy 2004.
While Britain, France, Germany and other European nations have lifted their bans against gays and lesbians, others such as Albania, Romania, Turkey, and Ukraine continue to prevent gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military. A complete list can be found in the Appendix of
Dalvi's study.
The Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military is an official research unit of the University of California, Santa Barbara. The Center is governed by a distinguished board of advisors including the Honorable Lawrence J. Korb of the Council on Foreign Relations, Honorable Coit Blacker of Stanford University and Professor Janet Halley of Harvard Law School. Its mission is to promote the study of gays, lesbians, and other sexual minorities in the armed forces.
Please click here to download the study (PDF Document).