Submitted by Eunice Novais (enovais@uepg.br) on 2017-08-17T20:47:35Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) Maria Cristina R Baranoski.pdf: 2101027 bytes, checksum: da2c1f4c2498c0a4a6b51227e3f9e854 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-17T20:47:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) Maria Cristina R Baranoski.pdf: 2101027 bytes, checksum: da2c1f4c2498c0a4a6b51227e3f9e854 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-07-06 / A afetividade é o componente do vínculo familiar que marca a repersonalização do direito de família, abre a possibilidade do reconhecimento da união de pessoas do mesmo sexo como família, com direito a pater/maternidade. Mas, ainda há a imagem da formação da família tradicional patriarcal, deixando as demais configurações invisibilizadas. Partindo da ideia do direito fundamental da criança à convivência familiar e considerando a família e a escola como integrantes do sistema de garantias dos direitos da criança e do adolescente, a pesquisa tem por objeto as relações cotidianas que a escola, enquanto ator do sistema de garantias dos direitos da criança e do adolescente, estabelece com a família homoparental. A hipótese que orientou a pesquisa é de que no contexto escolar a família homoparental é uma realidade invisível. O objetivo geral consiste em analisar a forma pela qual, escolas do sistema estadual de ensino Núcleo Regional de Educação/Ponta Grossa - Estado do Paraná, trabalham as demandas da família homoparental, considerando o cotidiano escolar e as políticas públicas da educação. A pesquisa tem caráter qualitativo, realizada a partir do método hipotético dedutivo. A metodologia utilizada é o estudo de caso. O percurso metodológico se deu com a pesquisa bibliográfica, documental e de campo. Na pesquisa de campo foi utilizada a abordagem bola de neve visando localizar experiências da família homoparental e a relação com a escola, no Núcleo Regional de Educação de Ponta Grossa. Os dados de campo foram coletados na forma de: observação; entrevista semiestruturada; documentos institucionais da escola, como o Projeto Político Pedagógico, os Planos de Educação, a partir das categorias da pesquisa. Com a analise de conteúdo se fez a análise e interpretação dos dados. A analise de conteúdo do material coletado foi realizada considerando as categorias: escola; família; diversidade; família homoparental; sistema de garantias dos direitos da criança e do adolescente; educação para a diversidade; estigma; estereótipo; preconceito; discriminação; visibilidade/invisibilidade; exclusão. Os resultados obtidos confirmam a hipótese da invisibilidade da família homoparental nos documentos e no cotidiano escolar, demonstrando os desafios que ainda se apresentam às crianças e suas famílias no sentido de garantir o direito de acesso e permanência da criança na escola, livre de quaisquer formas de violência originada do preconceito e exclusão. Demonstraram que a escola não conhece o histórico das suas crianças, especialmente a sua configuração familiar, tem dificuldades para entender as configurações familiares contemporâneas, e, reproduz padrões sociais hegemônicos. A falta de práticas inclusivas na escola para a acolhida e reconhecimento da família homoparental traz como consequência a falta de cumprimento, pela escola, da sua função de proteger plenamente o direito da criança à convivência familiar e comunitária e à educação, confirmando a hipótese que orientou a pesquisa, de que no contexto escolar a família homoparental é uma realidade invisível. invisibilidade/visibilidade. / The affectivity is the component of the family bond that marks the new personalization of the Family Law and it opens the possibility of the recognition of the union of people of the same sex like family, with the paternity / maternity right. But there is still the image of the formation of the traditional patriarchal family, leaving this way the other settings invisible. Starting from the idea of the fundamental right of the child to the familiar living and considering the family and the school as members of the system of guarantees of the rights of the child and the adolescent, the research aims to observe the daily relations established by the school, as performer of the system of guarantees of the rights of the child and the adolescent, with the same-sex parents family. The hypothesis that guided the research is that in the school context the same-sex family is an invisible reality. The general aim is to analyze the way in which the schools of the state education system NRE / Ponta Grossa - State of Paraná work the demands of the same-sex family considering the school routine and the public policies of education. The research has a qualitative character, based on the hypothetical deductive method. The methodology used is the case study. The methodological course was the bibliographical, documental and the field research. In the field research the snowball approach was used to identify experiences of the same-sex parents family and its relation with the school, in the Regional Center of Education of Ponta Grossa-PR. The field data were collected through the: observation from; a semi structured interview; school documents such as the political pedagogical project, education plans, from the categories of the research. The interpretation and date analyses was done through the content analysis. The content analysis of the collected material was carried out considering the categories: school; family; diversity; same-sex parents family; system of guarantees for the rights of child and adolescents; education for diversity; stigma; stereotype; prejudice; discrimination; visibility / invisibility; exclusion. The results confirm the hypothesis of the invisibility of the same-sex parents family both in part of the legislation, or in the documents and in the school daily routine, demonstrating the challenges that are still present to the children and their families in order to guarantee the right of access and permanence of the child in the school. free from any form of violence originated from the prejudice and the exclusion. The research results showed that school does not know the history of its children, especially its family configuration and it has difficulty in understanding the contemporary family configurations, and it reproduces the hegemonic social patterns. The lack of inclusive practices in the school for the acceptance and recognition of the same-sex parents family results in a failure by the school in fulfilling its function of fully protecting the right of the child to familiar and community living as well as to education, confirming the hypothesis that guided the research, that in the school context same-sex parents family is an invisible reality.

Over the last few decades, there has been a significant increase in the political and public acceptance of gay men and lesbians. However, this trend of acceptance is not a global phenomenon. Currently over 70 countries still criminalise private consensual same-sex intimacy, among which are 11 of the 12 independent Commonwealth Caribbean states. It should be noted that the anti-gay laws of the Caribbean are rarely used to police consensual private sexual activities. Thus, if private same-sex conduct is rarely penalised, why keep the laws in place, especially in the age where such bans are considered a violation of basic human rights? Many policy makers in the region have cited public opinions about homosexuality as a significant barrier to law reform. However, while a common view is that these laws are anchored by public support, very few studies have emerged to test whether the attitudes and behaviours of the general population are in line with this view. Against this backdrop, this thesis analyses attitudes towards lesbians and gay men and their legal rights in the Commonwealth Caribbean. The thesis begins with an analysis of support for the anti-gay laws in Barbados, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago. The analysis revealed that a majority of the sample supported the maintenance and enforcement of the laws, but did not want same-sex couples to be penalised for having sex in private. This suggests that attitudes may not be as stark as policy makers suggest. The descriptive statistics also show that a significant share of individuals think that the laws (1) reflect moral standards; (2) stop the spread of homosexuality; (3) are important from a public health perspective, and (4) protect young people from abuse. Support for the laws are thus related to beliefs that homosexuality is a 'threat' to the fabric of society. The empirical analysis of support for the laws revealed that religiousness, interpersonal contact and beliefs about the origin of homosexuality were the most reliable predictors of public support. However, age and education were only statistically significant in a few models, and there was no evidence that attitudes varied across religious denominations. This is a contrast to the findings of studies in the West. It was hypothesised that macro-level factors - such as the large share of Evangelicals, anti-gay laws and level of socioeconomic development - could be exerting an influence on attitudes that is stronger than that of these personal characteristics. As such, the study conducted a cross-national analysis of attitudes towards same-sex marriage in 28 countries in the Americas, 6 of which were members of the Commonwealth Caribbean. In general, countries with higher levels of development, smaller shares of Evangelicals and more liberal laws on homosexuality were more approving of same-sex marriage. The results also suggest that the impact of age and/or religion is less prominent in countries with restrictions on same-sex intimacy, lower levels of development and a strong Evangelical presence, confirming the hypothesis that contextual factors could mitigate the impact of some of the individual-level variables. Finally, to get a nuanced view of anti-gay prejudice in the region, a thematic analysis of anti-gay speech in dancehall and reggae - music originating from Jamaica but popular in the region - was presented. The thematic analysis revealed that homosexuality is presented as 'sinful', a 'violation of gendered norms', 'unnatural', a 'threat to society' and a 'foreign lifestyle'. The presentation of homosexuality as a 'foreign' lifestyle suggests that anti-gay prejudice could be related to fears of neo-imperialism and could be a means of rejecting ideological intrusions from the West. This is not surprising, as currently, the fight for the advancement of gay rights is being headed by activists in the West. Based on the thematic analysis, efforts to remove the anti-gay laws should be (or at least appear to be) home-grown to limit public backlash.

Hypertension is the chronic elevation in blood pressure that is regulated in part through the retention and regulation of sodium retention and excretion in the kidneys. Hence the kidney has been considered the organ that regulates blood pressure. There are a cohort of patients that suffer with high blood pressure due to lack of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-type 2 (11β-HSD2) expression (which inactivates glucocorticoids (GCs), allowing selective activation of mineralocorticoid receptors (MR) by aldosterone) that results in hypertensive and increased salt appetite phenotypes - a condition known as syndrome of apparent mineralocorticoid excess (SAME). This disorder can be recapitulated in the mouse through the global deletion of 11β-HSD2, which results in over activation of the MR driving an elevation in blood pressure. However, the distinction between blood pressure elevation because of kidney dysfunction with loss of 11β-HSD2 or increased salt appetite due to loss of brain 11β-HSD2 expression is not clear from the global 11β-HSD2 knockout model. Salt appetite is regulated by regions of the brain out-with the blood-brain barrier, known as circumventricular organs. In the mouse, salt appetite is controlled by aldosterone-sensitive cells in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) in the brain stem, where 11β-HSD2 is expressed to provide mineralocorticoid selectivity. However, in the fetal brain, 11β-HSD2 is widely expressed, protecting against adverse GC action that alters brain development and increases susceptibility to psychiatric disorders as adults. 11β-HSD2 deletion solely in the brain from embryonic day 12 resulting in GC fetal programming (HSD2BKO) causes effects on both behaviour and salt appetite. To determine the role of developmental versus adult expression of brain 11β- HSD2, mice with deletion of brain 11β-HSD2 from mid gestation (HSD2BKO) and mice with adult deletion of 11β-HSD2 in the NTS using lentivirus (HSD2.v- BKD) were compared. The phenotypes (salt appetite, blood pressure (BP), baroreceptor response (BRR) and cognition), can be categorised as either due to GC fetal programming (as indicated by HSD2BKO groups), or increased activation of MR in adult 11β-HSD2 expressing neurons (recapitulated in the HSD2.v-Cre groups). Salt appetite increased in both HSD2BKO and HSD2.v-BKD cohorts (mean percentage increase 65% n=8 and 46% n=6, compared to their respective controls), leading to an increased BP in both groups (+12% and +8%, respectively) as well as an impaired BRR, indicating all phenotypes are mediated by adult NTS neurons. However, spatial recognition memory (Object-in-Place task) is abolished in HSD2BKO mice, whereas, HSD2.v-BKD mice still retain short-term memory. Our data suggest that neural 11β-HSD2 protects against inappropriate activation of MR by corticosterone to regulate salt appetite and salt-induced rises in blood pressure. However, spatial recognition memory is not influenced by deletion of 11β-HSD2 in the adult brain, confirmation that this phenotype is underpinned by developmental programming by GCs, which is observed in the 11β-HSD2 brain KO. Salt appetite has been shown to be centrally regulated through the adult deletion of 11β-HSD2. From this, our data suggest that an increased salt appetite is due to adult loss of function of 11β-HSD2 rather than GC programming during development. Highlighting the NTS as a region for drug delivery to try and control salt appetite in salt sensitive individuals who struggle with administering a recommended change in diet. To develop this further, minimally invasive modes of delivery of viruses and drugs into the brain were investigated. In so doing, a non-invasive and reversible method to temporarily disrupt the blood brain barrier (BBB) was optimised. The technique required acoustic insonation of ultrasonic contrast agents (CAs) (gas microbubbles) adjacent to the BBB. These microbubbles (SonoVueTM, Bracco) were delivered via tail vein injection into the vasculature. To target the BBB, an ultrasonic transducer was suspended and focused through coupling gel onto the area of interest in the brain with skull the intact. The optimisation of this technique required determination of the focal position of the 3.5MHz transducer that was utilised, in addition to optimisation of the pulse length, pulse repetition frequency and power output of the ultrasound beam to enable the BBB to be disrupted. In addition, measurement of the attenuation of the ultrasound beam through ex vivo mouse skulls were measured. These results showed a 50% reduction in pressure amplitude from the baseline of 335.2mV (Baseline mean = 100% +/-SEM 0 n=3 (No skull), five regions across the skull averaged 47.79% +/-SEM 1.913 n=25 (using 5 different animals). In in vivo mice, after co-injection of the microbubbles with Evans Blue and insonation of the brain, disruption of the BBB was confirmed by the presence of Evans Blue dye in the brain, with no measurable damage occurring in the brain. This was confirmed by cell and nuclear morphology with no red blood cell extravasation into the surrounding tissue. The parameters used to open the BBB used a peak negative pressure of 2.1MPa (single pulse), transducer frequency 3.5MHz, 35,000 cycles over a 10ms burst at a pulse repetition frequency of 10Hz. The technique when applied in vivo in recovery animals is speculated to work by the focused ultrasound causing the microbubbles to oscillate within the vasculature adjacent to the BBB, resulting in high-shear stresses being generated on the tight junctions within the BBB. The resultant gaps in the BBB allow free circulating compounds (e.g. large dye molecules (Evans Blue - 960.8g/mol molecular weight) and adeno-associated-viruses (25nm with a packing capacity of 4.5kb) within the blood to pass into the brain, but there is no penetration of red blood cells (7μm). Longitudinal mouse experiments demonstrated that within 12-hours these gaps close with no long-term damage observed. Currently, utilising this technique, successful passage of an adeno-associated virus expressing GFP (as a marker) has been shown to pass into the brain (n=6 for each cohort including control) - indicating that the virus requires the ultrasound and microbubbles to facilitate its movement into the brain. Further technique optimisation is being explored looking at the role of CAs used in the opening and disruption of the BBB, comparing composition and size of the CAs. Microbubbles (2-3μm) and nanobubbles (200nm) were compared as well as lipid and non-ionic surfactant surface compositions, using volume of drug delivery and degree of disruption as outputs. Using this technique, the hydrophilic drug mimic calcein was delivered into the brain (n=5 non-ionic surfactant nanobubble, n=5 lipid nanobubble). Results have indicated that the delivery of calcein is most efficient when using non-ionic surfactant nanobubbles as opposed to lipid nanobubbles - with a greater volume of the drug being delivered into the cerebral tissue. Furthermore, the concentration and surface composition of the nanobubble have an effect as to the size and potential damage to the brain when opening the BBB. In conclusion, it has been shown that it is possible to non-invasively open the BBB and deliver viruses and dye into the brain. In addition, this thesis has investigated the use of nanobubbles as both facilitators to opening the BBB and delivery vectors for potentially therapeutic drugs. Finally, a non-invasive opening of the BBB has been achieved using focused ultrasound. Ultimately this non-invasive opening of the BBB can be used to achieve delivery of larger molecules (such as antibodies and viruses) into the brain to target treatments. Focused ultrasound brain targeting can be applied to the potential treatment of salt appetite regulation in the NTS. For the individuals who suffer from salt sensitive hypertension, the NTS can be targeted to reduce the drive to ingest high salt diets. Furthermore, the continuation of research into the central control of BP, salt appetite and baroreceptor reflex control can become better understood, using less invasive delivery techniques to the brain.

This research project was a mixed method of both a quantitative and qualitative design to examine the perception of 38 gay male’s life satisfaction post coming out. In the past few years, laws affecting the gay community have been at the forefront of policies and debates, given all communities an insight into the specific challenges that are endured. As the gay community starts to openly live their lives as a gay man, there has been a need to accept and understand not only the challenges, but to give acceptance. Additionally, this project sought out to determine if the gay community feels that their life satisfaction has increased post coming out to their family, friends, and coworkers, furthermore to be able to live a life not of shame, but of pride and acceptance of themselves.

While activists and others have argued that the legitimization of biased attitudes and stereotypes by political leaders foments violence against minority groups, criminological research in the U.S. has focused more on "threat" hypotheses that view hate crime as a retaliatory response to perceived gains or encroachment of targeted groups. Another view suggests that heightened public visibility of hate crimes or other bias issues, usually in the form of media coverage, increases hate crimes. This study compares the effect on anti-LGB crimes of events representing political threat (a court decision legalizing marriage equality) and political legitimization of bias (passage of a ban on marriage equality), both of which occurred in California in 2008. The study also tests effects of media coverage prior to the ban on marriage equality. Results showed a statistically significant increase in anti-LGB hate crimes after the ban on same-sex marriage. There was no effect on anti-LGB crime counts after the court decision to legalize marriage equality, or during the media campaign leading up to the vote to ban marriage equality.

Vapstenskonflikten

Syftet med den här uppsatsen är att se hur lokal dagspress i Västerbottens län framställer konflikten i Västerbotten samt undersöka vad detta hanterande haft för konsekvenser när det gäller konfliktens reproduktion. Detta görs genom en analys av en rad artiklar skrivna Västerbottens folkblad och Västerbottenskuriren. Fokus ligger på den rådande konflikten samt de bilder av densamma som förmedlas, detta I förhållande till hur den infallsvinkel som tidningarna själva väljer att förmedla kan tolkas utifrån ett etnicitetsperspektiv. Frågeställningar: Vilka diskurser återfinns i rapporteringen från den rådande konflikten mellan Vapstens sameby, övriga samer och övriga aktörer i Västerbottens folkblad och Västerbottenskuriren? Vad kan man, med hjälp av ovanstående, utläsa av detta I förhållande till konfliktens reproduktion? Vad kan man säga om konflikten som den framställs i Västerbottenskuriren och Västerbottens folkblad ur ett etnicitetsperspektiv? Man kan genom att studera artiklarna lingvistiskt se ett kategoriserande av samebyarna och staten som den ”andra” parten i konflikten. Detta gäller inte enbart de debattartiklarna som skrivits och analyserats utan även de artiklar skrivna av journalister. Ofta talar man i debattartiklarna om ”dem” eller ”de” och syftar på samebyn eller svenska staten medan man i journalistiska texter snarare låter ”övriga” näringar komma till tals. Här skapas därför två aktörer, samebyn och staten, som genom sin osynlighet i debatten förstås som odiskutabla sanningar, två auktoritärer svåra för den enskilda människan att konkurrera med. Det samebyn eller svenska staten bestämmer är det som råder och det är ifrågasättandet av dessa bestämmelser som har sitt forum i Västerbottens Kuriren och Västerbottens folkblad. Det finns dock undantagsfall. Rennäringsdebatten skiljer sig från övriga två i den bemärkelsen att den i vissa fall talar till en rikstäckande publik. Med detta skapas också en annan bild av den samiska befolkningen. Denna som renägande. Dessa artiklar är enbart journalistiska och väger tyngre än de debattartiklar som ifrågasätter fenomenet. Man skulle således kunna påstå att bilden över ”samebyn” i artiklar som riktar sig till en bredare publik än de inom länet antar rennäringslagens och sametingets definition av samer, alltså renägande inom samebyn. Detta kan även återknytas inom etnicitetsteorin. Denna bild innehåller den samiska befolkningen som hotad av markägare, och att dessa markägare alla är ickesamer. Vad det gäller debatten kring identitet skulle man, genom att titta på vilka artiklar som publicerats, kunna säga att debatten kring identiteten i första hand rör sig på individnivå där man som debattör pekar på statens bristande hantering av frågan och samebyns illvilja att erkänna andra än de inom samebyn samer. Dock kan man även här se en skillnad i de artiklar skrivna av individer inom samebyn då kritiken här i första hand riktas mot staten men i den bemärkelsen att staten missunnar rennäringen och därför nervärderar samerna som folk. Debatten gällande identiteten kan därför sägas att den förs på två olika plan. Dock kan man se ett mönster hos både de inom och de utom samebyn; oavsett vem man är som skriver har man redan klart för sig hur man identifierar sin etnicitet. Klarhet i vilka som i praktiken kan tillskriva sig benämningen same är dock genom dessa artiklar svårt att se, vad som dock blir tydligt är att Sametinslagen som säger ”den som upplever sig same” verkar gälla i stort. Man skulle kunna påstå att det genom detta skapats två typer av samisk etnicitet. Den ena där man menar att rennäringen är det viktigaste signumet för en samisk befolkning och den andra som menar att rennäringen bara är en del och att man istället för att se till släktskap. Genom att studera produktionsförhållandet för dessa artiklar kan man även utläsa en specifik målgrupp för tidningen. Då man genom språket begränsat tidningen till svensktalande skulle man kunna påstå att Västerbottenskuriren och Västerbottens folkblad inte i första hand riktar sig till samebyn, utan till dem i västerbotten som står utanför samebyn. I denna bemärkelse blir tidningen ytterligare ett forum för åsikter som rör samebyn eller de renägande samerna då detta är de tidningar som människor med denna typ av åsikt har möjlighet att uttrycka sig. Att intresset från samebyns sida att delta i och uttrycka sig i debatten är svalt skulle också kunna tolkas som att samebyn, med sina egna medier på samiska, finner sitt forum för diskussion där. När det gäller identitetsdebatten kan man tydligt se hur de övriga två kategorierna i konflikten speglar debatten kring identitet. Om man inom rennäringen tagit ett beslut som gynnar samebyn skapar det debattartiklar som rör identiteten. / Vapstenskonflikten

Thesis (doctoral)--Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Freiburg (Breisgau), 2001/2002.

The following will explore the operation of evolved mechanisms connected with cycling fertility. I first address strategic shifts in women’s behavior near ovulation and hypothesize that certain behavioral shifts at high fertility reflect an increase in women’s intrasexual competition tactics when conception is most probable. A simulated, online shopping program was designed to track women’s spending patterns (at varying budgets) on clothing, undergarments, shoes, jewelry, and other fashion accessories – items that likely enhance a woman’s ability to attract a high quality mate and effectively compete with same-sex rivals. Additionally, a laboratory task was created to assess women’s likelihood of incurring a risk to appear more attractive and have access to more resources than same-sex peers. Studies 1-3 will explore the effect of fertility on women’s consumer behavior and the influence of same-sex peers on fertility-induced motivation to appear more attractive. Study 4 will further examine fertility-induced shifts in women’s intrasexual competitiveness by measuring context-specific risks women take to gain a positional advantage over same-sex peers. The current studies present new data that provide novel insights into human adaptations to cycling fertility and highlight important decision-making processes that guide women’s social competition within a variety of domains. / text

Homoseksualumas – lytinė orientacija, kuri paprastai suprantama kaip priešinga heteroseksualumui, nes pasižymi lytiniu potraukiu tos pačios lyties atstovams, ir todėl visuomenėje dažnai pripažįstama nukrypimu nuo normos, o tai suponuoja šių asmenų diskriminaciją. Darbe analizuojamos Europos Žmogaus Teisių Teismo praktikos tendencijos, susijusios su baudžiamosios atsakomybės už homoseksualius santykius panaikinimu, ginant šių asmenų teisę į privatumą. Atskleidžiama, kad Teismas pasisako prieš bet kokį baudžiamąjį persekiojimą, grindžiamą lytine orientacija, siekdamas, kad Europos Tarybos valstybėse būtų pripažįstamos ir saugomos homoseksualių asmenų teisės. Šiandien vis garsiau kalbama apie homoseksualių asmenų teisę į santuoką. Magistro baigiamajame darbe analizuojama EŽTT praktika, siekiant nustatyti, ar kartu gyvenančių homoseksualių asmenų santykiai patenka į šeimos gyvenimo apimtį. Be to, ar pagal Europos žmogaus teisių konvenciją valstybės turi pozityvią pareigą teisę į santuoką užtikrinti ne tik skirtingų lyčių poroms, t.y. neatsižvelgiant į lytinę orientaciją. Egzistuojantis registruotos partnerystės institutas yra alternatyvi forma įteisinti homoseksualius santykius, tad siekiama nustatyti, ar EŽTT įpareigoja valstybes suteikti minėtą galimybę tos pačios lyties poroms savo nacionalinėje teisėje. Homoseksualių asmenų teisė įsivaikinti yra viena iš kontraversiškiausių teisių, nes siejasi su vaiko teisėmis, jo geriausiais interesais. Tad magistro baigiamajame darbe yra... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Homosexuality – sexual orientation which is the opposite of heterosexuality because it is characterized as sexual desire for persons of the same sex. That is why a society often acknowledges it like a deviation from norms and this may sometimes result as an act of discrimination. The Master’s thesis analyses the tendency of the Jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights which is related to abolishing the criminalisation of private homosexual relations. It is important because of defending the right to privacy of homosexuals. The Court speaks against criminal prosecution on the ground of sexual orientation and finds that Member States of the Council of Europe should recognize and protect the rights of homosexual persons. Today the discussions about the right to the same-sex marriage are becoming louder and louder. The thesis attempts to ascertain whether the cohabitation of homosexuals falls in the ambit of a family life according to the European Court of Human Rights as well as whether the Member States of the European Convention on Human Rights have a positive obligation to ensure the right to marry for the same-sex couples. Furthermore, the institute of a registered partnership is an alternative form for legalizing homosexual relationships. Thus, it is necessary to identify whether the Court puts an obligation to the Member States to make that opportunity for the same-sex couples in the national legal systems. The right of adoption of homosexuals is a highly... [to full text]