The possible forms of professionalism: credibility and the performance of queer sexualities among barristers in England and Wales

This article constitutes the first account of sexual minority barristers’ experience of and relation to professionalism at the Bar. Drawing on survey and interview data, it presents the Bar as a site of heteronormativity, where masculinist heterosexuality is pervasively assumed and publicly valorized. The ‘credible’ barrister – authoritative, respected, competent – is constructed as heterosexual. In this context, sexual minority barristers risk a loss of credibility in coming out or being out in the workplace. Our data presents mechanisms by which these individuals manage the public expression of their sexuality. Some – in contrast to heterosexual colleagues – deny entirely the professional relevance of their sexuality. Others adopt assimilationist strategies, curating a ‘credible’ public persona: out, but otherwise conforming to heteronormative expectations and values. While the data includes exceptions that give cause for hope, many sexual minority barristers experience professionalism as pressure to render their sexuality effectively invisible, at significant cost personally and professionally.     

From Britain with Love The British Council and Four Decades of Deepening Cultural and Educational Ties

WITH a commitment to a step change in the range and level of relations between the two countries,the People’s Republic of China and the United Kingdom established diplomatic relations at the     

The Silk Railroad

SILK, spices and camels are succeeded by computers,car parts and horsepower as an increasingly integrated rail network shortens the distance between Europe and China.O European! If you only knew     

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and the Role of Family Court Judges in Improving Outcomes for Children and Families

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a physical disability that is 95% underdiagnosed and 40 times over‐represented in juvenile justice. Prenatal alcohol and other drug exposure causes brain damage that affects behaviors, e.g., poor judgment, impulsivity, difficulty learning from experience, and difficulty understanding consequences, leading to multiple diagnoses such as Attention Deficit Disorder, Conduct Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Emotionally Disturbed. FASD is an invisible physical disability; most people with FASD have no observable physical characteristics. The courts are in an important position to increase awareness of this problem by simply asking whether FASD is a factor that needs to be considered. The purpose of this article is to support increased recognition and efficacy of services for people with FASD in the legal system. Sections include: (1) Overview of FASD diagnostic criteria and current terminology; (2) Exploration of FASD as a physical disability with behavioral symptoms; (3) Case example illustrating common patterns of behaviors in children and adults with FASD without identification and improved outcomes following identification and implementation of appropriate treatment; and (4) Recommendations for family court judges.     

Something Borrowed, Intercultural on the Rise i Something Red N

PEOPLE have been marrying outside their "own culture" for as long as they’ve been able to utter the phrase "I do." In fact, the presence of Neanderthal DNA in all human populations outside Africa-up to three percent in some "modern" Europeans-has led some scientists to suggest that the first Homo sapiens to stroll off the Savanna even paired off with their     

Architecture with Chinese Characteristics

IF architecture is frozen music,as German polymath Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said,then China’s premier cities are filled with towering symphonies. Up-and-coming metropolises seem     

The Iron Man Deng Zhiyuan redraws China’s calligraphy landscape

THE calligrapher is a humble man,yet as he elaborates on the intricacies of creating a perfectly proportioned Chinese character - if,as he says,there is such a thing - the pride he takes in work shines through.In     

Attitudes Toward Pornography in a Southern Community

The Supreme Court has determined that obscene speech should not be protected under the First Amendment, but an unambiguous definition of obscenity is required if negative legal sanctions are to be enforced without jeopardizing due process. According to current guidelines, a media presentation of sexually explicit materials must exceed limits of sexual candor to be defined obscene. However, establishing such limits requires articulation of a normative standard for a specified population—a population defined by the court as being a community. The present research is designed to identify such limits of sexual candor within a community in the South. The results demonstrate the existence of ambiguity in the articulation of community standards. First, little consistency is found between personal standards and the perceptions of community standards. This lack of consistency presents a problem for jury deliberation since a single frame of reference is not available to guide jurors in reaching decisions on obscenity. Second, both perceptions of community standards and personal standards are significantly influenced by extracommunity factors of sex, age, race, education, religiosity, and moral rigidity. Existence of such effects raises the additional question of jury bias in the event that there is an overrepresentation of any one segment of the community on a jury.