Reflections on the Dynamism and Deliberativeness in the Interpretation of Law on the Example of Cases Concerning LGBTQ+ Rights

Keywords: deliberativeness, LGBTQ+, fundamental rights, identity, hard cases, interpretation of law

English abstract:  The article illustrates the numerous contexts and the multifaceted nature of the LGBTQ+ persons’ rights to citizenship, to have a correct civil status record, or to benefit from tax reductions or exemptions of on the same terms as other citizens, e.g., those in heterosexual unions. It shows how complicated it has become to adjudicate on matters that, in view of the subject-matter of regulation, should be relatively clear and predictable. Reflective interpretation of law makes it possible to take into account its non-eliminable changeability, as well as the fluidity of meaning of terms and phrases used in legal texts – factors which oblige the interpreter to refer to extra-linguistic contexts of interpretation, i.e., to functional and systemic arguments. The author considers that it is not possible to reach an adequate understanding of the current legal context without analysing the social and cultural context, especially when
considering pluralism of values as the modus vivendi of a democratic society.

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