University of Houston hosts anti-masculinity lecture

The University of Houston Law Center recently hosted a lecture titled “The Jurisprudence of Masculinity.” 

Keynote speaker and NYU law professor Melissa Murray defined the jurisprudence of masculinity as “a jurisprudence that prioritizes and protects rights that are coded and understood as male, as well as the men who would exercise those rights,” arguing that the Roberts Court has exemplified this jurisprudence.

[RELATED: UW program explores dangers of masculinity]

According to Murray, the Supreme Court’s “understanding of certain constitutional rights, like contract rights and property rights and the Second Amendment right to bear and keep arms, have been relied upon for the consolidation and expansion of patriarchal power, and thus have been understood and socialized as male rights.”

“While October term 2021 will always be remembered for the Court’s evisceration of the constitutional right to abortion, its full impact actually goes well beyond Dobbs,” Murray proceeded to argue.

“As I have explained in other cases that have received far less attention, the Court has prioritized and privileged male rights even as it consigns women and their rights to the uncertainties of a distorted democracy.”

Campus Reform has found, however, that women are often prioritized over men, putting into question Murray’s case. 

[RELATED]: Students put on dancing shoes to ‘unearth masculinity’

In custody battles, “women are awarded child custody in nearly 90 percent of all cases,” according to Emy A. Cordano, Attorney at Law. This is because “women have always been considered superior parents,” says Cordano. 

But such preference towards women is not isolated to the courts. Universities perpetuate the preference towards women.

Stanford University, for example, is under investigation for discriminating against men, as Campus Reform recently reported. 

“Stanford University violates Title IX by expressing an unlawful preference for women in its employment/hiring practices and/or devoting funds specifically for the purpose of increasing the enrolment of women,” a lawsuit against the university reads.

The University of Houston and Melissa Murray were contacted for comment by Campus Reform but did not respond.