1 Introduction 1 Introduction

There are few areas of the law that are currently more contested than gender, sexuality, and reproduction. Indeed, fundamental questions of justice and equality arise when the law regulates the most intimate aspects of personal life. Debates rage in legislatures about abortion, contraception, education about sexual orientation and gender identity, marriage equality, assisted reproductive technologies, and employment discrimination. This casebook explores the history, law, and social movement struggles around key issues of gender, sexuality, and reproduction. We will consider the historical trajectories of these laws, from criminalization to deregulation and beyond. We will think through what the law means by gender identity, sexual orientation, sex, and reproduction--and whether those definitions are satisfying. We will think through the practical effects of different legal approaches and the cultural, medical, and political crosscurrents that shape them. Whatever else one may say about gender, sexuality, and the law, it is fluid, and the readers of this volume will have a significant hand in shaping its future.