Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2019
Abstract
This Article uses New Hampshire v. Lilley, a case recently decided by the New Hampshire Supreme Court, as a starting point for an equal protection analysis of indecent exposure laws that distinguish between women and men. After discussing contemporary equal protection jurisprudence and historicizing these laws, this Article uses the film theorist Laura Mulvey's concept of the "male gaze" to demonstrate how overbroad generalizations about sex and sexuality serve as the foundation for this legal distinction. This Article concludes by emphasizing that municipalities and states may continue to enact and enforce indecent exposure laws that reflect community standards, so long as they apply equally to women and men.
Recommended Citation
Nicholas Mignanelli, Equal Protection and the Male Gaze: An Approach to New Hampshire v. Lilley, 22 J. Gender Race & Just. 265 (2019).