Advocate for Equality
Courtney Joslin
Professor, School of Law
Impact: Advocating equality and justice on behalf of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, and their families.
As a nationally known scholar on gay-lesbian equality, Courtney Joslin feels privileged to be part of a community like UC Davis that is “dedicated not only to scholarly and teaching excellence, but also to matters of equality and justice.”
Before joining the School of Law faculty in 2007, Joslin spent spent six years litigating and advocating on behalf of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, and their families.
These issues continue to be Joslin’s passion as a law professor. In addition to teaching and writing about them in her scholarship, Joslin also advocates on these issues through her participation in amicus briefs in pending litigation, including the many same-sex marriage cases working their way through the courts.
Her work has appeared in legal journals, blogs and newspapers. Joslin also serves as an expert source to the media on a wide range of topics, including child custody, family recognition and marriage for same-sex couples.
“Family law and relationship recognition issues affect almost every aspect of our lives,” says Joslin. “Not only does family law tell us which people are spouses and which people are parents, family law rules also affect the benefits we receive at work and how we pay our taxes.”
She enjoys working with UC Davis students, who continually amaze her.
“Our students work hard because they have a genuine passion for learning and the law. They are dedicated to using their legal education and training to address injustices.”
