Sexual and Gender Diversity Alliance Section Student Online Article Competition

• Article entries should address a contemporary issue, either in the practice of law or in substantive law (i.e. jurisprudence), relevant to the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Submissions may advocate a position, educate the reader, or analyze one or more cases or legislation. The decision as to whether a particular essay qualifies as relevant subject matter is entirely within the discretion of the SAGDA executive committee.
• Entrants are limited to one article submission.
• The article submitted must be the entrant’s sole, original, work.
• A co-authored article by no more than two students is acceptable provided the paper submitted is the original work of the co-authors.
• The article submitted must not have been previously published.
• Articles must be between 1,100 and 1500 words, excluding references. All articles must have a headline. Additionally, references to authorities should be included in the body of the article. Footnotes will not be accepted.
• Articles should be submitted in Microsoft Word format, in size 12 Times New Roman font, double-spaced.

The competition is open to students currently enrolled in an Ontario Law School.

• Article submissions will be judged by a committee of select members of the SOGIC Executive.
• Two winners will be selected for publication.
• Articles will be judged on the following measures:
  • Composition, structure and style: Is the article easy to read, clearly written, and logically organized? Do the ideas and paragraphs flow smoothly?
  • Originality: Does the article demonstrate original and critical thought about the issue being discussed?
  • Engagement: Is the headline compelling and does the content of the article engage the reader?
• The committee is at liberty not to award in the case of too few submissions and/ or where submissions do not meet the requisite standard of quality for publication. Here are some Tips for Writing an Effective Article.

Publication

• Prize-winning articles will be published on the SOGIC Section Website and the OBA’s JUST. Magazine, together with a profile and photograph of the student author. All articles will be published in accordance with the OBA Section Editors Guidelines.
• In addition, the winning articles may be shared across other OBA properties, e.g. JUST. magazine, other OBA Sections, the MyCBA Dashboard, OBA social media, and OBA emails.
• Upon publication, articles will be accessible to the public for three months, after which full access is restricted to Section members only. Non-members will still be able to view a list of articles posted, along with a brief descriptive blurb for each, and may request access to the article in its entirety from the OBA.

Articles may be on any legal topic that a student feels is relevant to the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Suggested topics include:

• Jordan Peterson v College of Psychologists of Ontario - how do professional obligations and hate speech interact? What are the powers of regulatory colleges regarding their members?
• International attacks on 2SLGBTQ+ rights - what can international law do? How does international law and Canadian law intersect?
• UR Pride Centre for Sexuality and Gender Diversity v. Government of Saskatchewan et al. - what are the legal rights of 2SLGBTQ+ people, and how to preserve those rights under the Canadian constitution?
• Future areas of concern for 2SLGBTQ+ individuals - where should lawyers be looking next?
• Section 15 - how it works and why it matters for 2SLGBTQ+ students
• Access 2 Justice  Issues and Transgender/Gender Non Conforming people,  a framework for removing barriers to access.
• Access 2 Justice Issues for 2SLGBTQ+: how these issues change for 2SLGBTQ+ individuals living at the intersections of other margins such as disability and race.