Dr Kay Lalor

Profile Photo of Kay Lalor

Dr Kay Lalor

Reader

LGBTQ+ Rights, Feminist Legal Theory, Deleuze and Law

My profile

Biography

I am a Reader in Human Rights Law at Manchester Law School. My work explores the growth of LGBTQI+ rights activism in international legal arenas, with a focus on how legally informed activism is translated into non- and quasi-legal projects, and what this means for the development human rights theory, law, and practice. My teaching is similarly focused on human rights law and critical approaches to law. 

I am a the Production Editor for the journal Feminist Legal Studies and a Trustee of the Socio-Legal Studies Association. 

Interests and expertise

My research is situated broadly within feminist and queer approaches to international human rights law, focusing in particular on the growth of LGBT/SOGI rights activism in international legal arenas. My Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship (2015-2018) for the project ‘International Relations and LGBTI rights: Conditionality, Diplomacy and Activism’. This project investigated different forms of international pressure (aid conditionality, political conditionality; diplomatic pressure and campaigning) used to advance international LGBTI rights across borders and within different cultures and jurisdictions.

I am particularly interested in the spatio-temporal dimensions of human rights as they relate to gender and sexuality. I draw upon Deleuzian approaches to law and Feminist Legal Geography in order to explore these spatio-temporalities. My recent work has focused on walking and ‘legal walks’ with people seeking asylum as a method of exploring and challenging legal and physical borders. 

Alongside this theoretical work, I also focus more practically on the work of feminist and LGBTQI+ activists to secure change. I am a member of the Safety Group of the Fawcett-Pankhurst GM4Women group. I was lead editor for the publication Gender Sexuality and Social Justice: What’s Law Got To Do With It? (Institute of Development Studies, 2016), a collection of contributions from 33 LGBTQI+ and feminist activists from over 20 countries in the world. I have also worked with Dr Rossella Pulvirenti (MMU) on the project Outsourcing Asylum exploring the impact of the Rwanda Policy on people seeking asylum.

Get in touch

0161 247 2438
6.24 Sandra Burslem Building

Projects

2022-2024 – ‘Outsourcing Asylum’ project with Dr Rossella Pulvirenti (MMU) working with women seeking asylum and support services seeking to intervene in the proposed Rwanda Bill in the UK. 

2022-Present – ‘Publish Not Perish’ seminar and podcast project with Dr Zainab Naqvi (MMU) exploring inequalities in academic publishing drawing upon our experience as board members, co-ordinating editors and production editor of the journal Feminist Legal Studies. Seminar funding secured through a Feminist Review Trust grant. Initial podcast recordings funded by an SLSA impact grant. Further support provided by Feminist Legal Studies.

2020-Present – Feminist Legal Geographies and Legal Walking Project including three ESRC Festival of Social Science guided legal walks and a series of seminars on Feminist Legal Geography at major socio legal and legal geographic conferences.

2018-2022 –  ‘Here Versus There: Beyond comparison in queer and sexuality politics’. SLSA funded seminar series on comparison and spatial binaries in LGBTQ law and politics. Resulted in a Special Issue in the journal Sexualities.

2015-2018 – Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship ‘International Relations and LGBTI rights: Conditionality, Diplomacy and Activism’. This project investigated different forms of international pressure (aid conditionality, political conditionality; diplomatic pressure and campaigning) used to advance international LGBTI rights across borders and within different cultures and jurisdictions.

2014-2016 – Gender Sexuality and Social Justice: What’s law got to do with it?’ Collaborative project with LGBT activists and the Institute of Development Studies. Resulted in a Symposium, Symposium Report and an Edited Book.

Teaching

I currently teach across the LLB and LLM Programmes. I am the Unit Leader for the  European Convention on Human Rights unit on the LLB. 

Courses

LLB (Hons)

Undergraduate

LLM (Master of Laws)

Postgraduate

Supervision

Roussa Kaspidou ‘Transnational gender-variant identities: Gender identity legal recognition in Greece (Completed 2020)

Leehee Rothschild ‘Polyamorous and queer families in practice: living arrangements, child rearing and law’

Sam Morgan ‘The Spatial and Affective Dimensions of Litigating LGBTQI Rights: A Caribbean Case Study’

Jaria Hussain-Lala ‘A critical analysis of the effectiveness of the legal and policy framework governing FGM in England and Wales’

Hannah Varnouse ”’Honour’-Based Violence and Abuse - A Need for Specific Legislation?’

Catherine Jacquiss ‘The Spatial and Affective Dimensions of Litigating LGBTQI Rights’

Lucy Glynn ‘Legal and non-legal experiences of regulation of sex workers’

Research outputs

  • Books (authored/edited/special issues)

    Lalor, K., Mills, E, , Sanchez Garcia, A. (2016) Gender, Sexuality and Social Justice: What’s law got to do with it?.

  • Chapters in books

    Lalor, K. (2022) 'Gender, Temporality and International Human Rights Law: From Hidden Histories to Feminist Futures.' In McNeilly, K., Warwick, B. (ed.) The Times and Temporalities of International Human Rights Law. Bloomsbury, pp. 103-120.

    Lalor, K. (2020) 'Diplomacy, Conditionality and Transnational LGBTI Rights.' In Ashford, C., Maine, A. (ed.) Research Handbook on Gender, Sexuality and Law. Edward Elgar,

    Lalor, K. (2020) 'Queer Legacies of Colonialism.' In Raj, S., Dunne, P. (ed.) The Queer Outside in Law: Recognising LGBTIQ People in the United Kingdom. Palgrave,

    Lalor, K., Morris, A., Waughray, A. (2018) 'St George's Health Care NHS Trust vs SR v Collins and Others ex parte S.' In Auchmuty, R., Rackley, E. (ed.) Women's Legal Landmarks: Celebrating 100 Years of Women and Law in the UK and Ireland. Bloomsbury,

    Lalor, K.L., Mills,, E., Sanchez Garcia, A. (2016) 'Introduction: Starting Conversations: A cross-continental dialogue on avenues to advance sexuality and gender justice.' Gender, Sexuality and Social Justice: What’s law got to do with it?. Institute of Development Studies,

    Lalor, K.L., Mills, E., Sanchez Garcia, A. (2016) 'What is the scope for joint working to advance sexual and gender justice?.' Gender, Sexuality and Social Justice: What’s law got to do with it?. Institute of Development Studies,

    Lalor, K.L., Mills, E., Sanchez Garcia, A. (2016) 'How useful is the law for attaining sexual and gender justice?.' Gender, Sexuality and Social Justice: What’s law got to do with it?. Institute of Development Studies,

  • Reports

    Lalor, K.L., Haste, P., Vaast, C. (2015) Sexuality and Social Justice: What's Law Got To Do With It?. Brighton, United Kingdom: Brighton: IDS.

  • Internet publications

    Lalor, K. (2016) How Does the Law Frame Sexuality?. http://www.spl.ids.ac.uk/sexuality-and-social-justice-toolkit.

  • Journal articles

    Kanellopoulou, E., Lalor, K., Bennett, L. (2024) 'A legal walk of Sheffield: foregrounding the everyday presence of law in the city.' Journal of Place Management and Development, 17(2) pp. 159-170.

    Pulvirenti, R., Lalor, K., Jaquiss, C. (2024) 'The ‘Asylum Partnership’ Memorandum of Understanding with Rwanda and LGBTQI+ Asylum Seekers: an analysis of vulnerability in the Equality Impact Assessment and the European Convention on Human Rights.' Journal of Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Law, 38(1)

    Lalor, K. (2023) 'Refusing the present to affirm the unknown future: after LGBTIQ rights in global queer politics.' The International Journal of Human Rights,

    Garland, F., Lalor, K., Travis, M. (2022) 'Intersex Activism, Medical Power/Knowledge and the Scalar Limitations of the United Nations.' Human Rights Law Review, 22(3) pp. ngac020-ngac020.

    Lalor, K., Browne, K. (2022) 'Introduction – Here versus There: beyond comparison in queer and sexuality politics.' Sexualities, 26(1-2) pp. 3-11.

    Lalor, K. (2021) 'Listening intently’ to LGBTQI Lives: diplomatic narratives of listening and hearing in LGBTQI rights.' Law Text Culture, 24(1) pp. 302-327.

    Lalor, K. (2020) 'Book Review: Criminal Law and the Man Problem by Ngaire Naffine.' Legal Studies, 40(4) pp. 697-701.

    Lalor, K. (2020) 'Book review: Feeling Queer Jurisprudence: Injury, Intimacy, Identity.' Feminist Legal Studies, 29(2)

    Lalor, K.L. (2019) 'Encountering the Past: Grand Narratives, Fragmented Histories and LGBTI Rights ‘Progress’.' Law and Critique, 30(1) pp. 21-40.

    Lalor, K., Browne, K. (2018) 'Here Versus There: Creating British Sexual Politics Elsewhere.' Feminist Legal Studies, 26(2) pp. 205-213.

    Lalor, K. (2015) 'Making Different Differences: Representation and Rights in Sexuality Activism.' Feminist Legal Studies, 23(1) pp. 7-25.

    Lalor, K. (2011) 'Constituting sexuality: Rights, politics and power in the gay rights movement.' International Journal of Human Rights, 15(5) pp. 683-699.

  • Non-peer reviewed articles / reviews

    Kanellopoulou, E., Lalor, K. (2024) Editorial: Reflections on law and place.

  • Conference papers

    Ernsting, F., Lalor, K., Khan, A. (2022) 'Gathering student insights during the pandemic of pre-covid-19 experience of campus spaces.' In Advance HE Surveys & Insights Symposium 2022: Innovative Insight. Manchester, 28/4/2022 - 28/4/2022.

    Lalor, K. (2022) 'The present as a dimension of an unknown future: Imagining non-linear futures of LGBTQI+ rights.' In Social and Legal Studies Association Annual Conference. University of York, 6/4/2022 - 8/4/2022.

    Lalor, K. (2022) ''Feminist jurisprudences and intersex embodiment: The possibilities and limits of a feminist reading of the Human Rights Act 1998 for intersex rights'.' In Feminist Review of the Human Rights Act. Online, 4/2/2022 - 4/2/2022.

    Lalor, K. (2021) 'Locating spaces of ‘after’: Non-linear temporalities of progress and LGBTI rights.' In After Rights. Online, 10/11/2021 - 10/11/2021.

    Lalor, K. (2019) 'Complex Entanglements and Transnational Assemblages: Approaching the limit and finding a continuum in human rights law,.' In 20th International Roundtable on the Semiotics of Law, University of Coimbra, Portugal, 2019. University of Coimbra, Portugal, 23/5/2019 - 25/5/2019.

    Lalor, K.L. (2017) 'Progress at Home and Violence Abroad? Diplomacy, Queer Lives and Transnational Law Reform.' In Queer Lives Past and Present: Interrogating the Legal. Birkbeck, University of London, 29/11/2017 - 29/11/2017.

    Lalor, K.L. (2017) 'Listening to our Local Partners.' In Critical Legal Conference. University of Warwick, 1/9/2017 - 3/9/2017.

    Lalor, K.L. (2017) 'Progress at Home Violence Abroad.' In American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting. Boston, USA, 5/4/2017 - 9/4/2017.

    Lalor, K.L. (2016) 'Lasting partnerships or fragile connections? LGBTQ politics, diplomacy and international law.' In After Marriage: The Future of LGBTQ Politics and Scholarship Conference. CUNY, New York, 1/10/2016 - 2/10/2016.

    Lalor, K.L. (2016) 'Encountering the Past: LGBTI Rights and contested histories.' In The New Legal Temporalities?: Discipline and Resistance across Domains of Time,. University of Kent, 8/9/2016 - 10/9/2016.

    Lalor, K.L. (2016) 'Spaces of resistance: Law, development and LGBTI rights.' In SLSA Annual Conference. Lancaster University, 5/4/2016 - 7/4/2016.

    Lalor, K.L. (2015) 'Sexuality, Law and Economic Development: What Are the Key Conversations and Alliances?.' In International Symposium - Sexuality and Social Justice: What's Law Got To Do With It?. Institute of Development Studies, Brighton, United Kingdom, 1/3/2015 - 1/3/2015.

    Lalor, K.L. (2014) 'From LGBT Rights to Human Reality: Human Rights, Activism and the Production of Sexuality.' In Critical Lawyers Group Human Rights Conference. Manchester Metropolitan University, 1/1/2014 - 1/1/2014.

    Lalor, K.L. (2012) 'Postcolonial Sexualities: Sexuality Frontiers.' In Postcolonial Sexualities: Emerging Solidarities Workshop. University of Sheffield, United Kingdom, 1/1/2012 - 1/1/2012.

    Lalor, K.L. (2011) 'At Interrogating Inequality.' University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, 1/7/2011 - 1/7/2011.

    Lalor, K.L. (2011) 'At the Law of the Law: Using the Dialectic Method for Socio-Legal Research.' In Westminster International Law and Theory Centre Workshop. Westminster, United Kingdom, 1/4/2011 - 1/4/2011.

    Lalor, K.L. (2011) 'Situating Sexuality.' In University of Westminster Staff Seminar Lunchtime Series. University of Westminster, United Kingdom, 1/1/2011 - 1/1/2011.

    Lalor, K.L. (2010) 'Constituting Sexuality: Rights, Politics and Power in the Gay Rights Movement.' In Law and Politics: Democracy, Human Rights and Power, University of Westminster Graduate Conference. University of Westminster, United Kingdom, 1/6/2010 - 1/6/2010.

    Lalor, K.L. (2010) 'Defining Gay Rights: Sexual Orientation as a Human Rights Issue.' In Transgressing Powers, PECANS/CLGS Workshop. University of Westminster, United Kingdom, 1/4/2010 - 1/4/2010.

  • Presentations

    Lalor, K. (2022) Colonial Histories of ‘Safe To Be Me’. [Presentation] Online,9/6/2022.