--- title: "Romer v. Evans | Intro to Gender Studies" description: "Romer v. Evans is the 1996 Supreme Court case that struck down Colorado Amendment 2 for violating Equal Protection and targeting LGBTQ+ people." canonical: "https://fiveable.me/introduction-gender-studies/key-terms/romer-v-evans" type: "key-term" subject: "Intro to Gender Studies" unit: "Unit 12" --- # Romer v. Evans | Intro to Gender Studies ## Definition Romer v. Evans is a 1996 Supreme Court case in Intro to Gender Studies that struck down Colorado’s Amendment 2 because it denied LGBTQ+ people legal protection from discrimination. ## What It Is Romer v. Evans is a Supreme Court case from 1996 that matters in Intro to Gender Studies because it shows how law can either protect or target LGBTQ+ people. The Court ruled that Colorado’s Amendment 2 could not stand because it singled out people based on sexual orientation and blocked them from getting anti-discrimination protections. The basic issue was not just whether a state could pass a new policy. It was whether a law could carve out one group and make it harder for that group to use ordinary legal protections available to everyone else. The Court said no, because that kind of rule violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. In gender studies, this case sits at the intersection of sexuality, stigma, and legal power. It shows how discrimination is not always only about direct insults or personal prejudice. It can also be built into policy, where the state itself helps decide who deserves protection and who does not. Colorado’s Amendment 2 is a useful example because it did not just fail to help LGBTQ+ people. It would have prevented cities and local governments from passing protections in the first place. That meant discrimination could keep happening in housing, employment, and public life without the same legal tools other people could use. The case is often taught alongside other LGBTQ+ rights cases because it marks an early moment when the Supreme Court recognized that laws motivated by anti-LGBTQ+ bias can be unconstitutional. In class, you may be asked to connect the case to discrimination, stigma, or the broader fight for legal equality, not just memorize the name of the ruling. ## Why It Matters Romer v. Evans matters because it gives you a clear example of how gender studies looks at institutions, not just identity. The course asks how power shapes everyday life, and this case shows the state acting as a gatekeeper for rights and recognition. It also helps explain why LGBTQ+ discrimination is not only social but structural. A person can face stigma from family, school, or coworkers, but legal discrimination sets the rules for what protection is even available. That difference matters when you are analyzing why some groups have to fight for basic legal access while others do not. The case is also a good bridge to later topics like anti-discrimination laws and the long legal history around LGBTQ+ rights. If a reading or discussion mentions unequal treatment, public policy, or court decisions, Romer v. Evans is one of the clearest examples of how law can reinforce or challenge inequality. It gives you a concrete case to use when you need to show what legal stigma looks like in practice. ## Connections ### Equal Protection Clause Romer v. Evans turned on the Equal Protection Clause, which is the constitutional rule the Court used to judge whether Colorado was treating one group unfairly. In a gender studies class, this connection helps you see how constitutional language becomes a tool for challenging discrimination. The case is a good example of law being used to push back on unequal treatment. ### Colorado Amendment 2 Colorado Amendment 2 was the law struck down in Romer v. Evans. It tried to block local protections for LGBTQ+ people by keeping them from gaining anti-discrimination status. When you study the case, the amendment shows how discrimination can be written into policy, not just expressed through individual behavior. ### [anti-discrimination laws](/introduction-gender-studies/key-terms/anti-discrimination-laws) This case helps explain why anti-discrimination laws matter in everyday life. Those laws create a legal floor that can protect people in housing, work, and public services. Romer v. Evans shows what happens when a state tries to remove that floor for one group. ### Discrimination Romer v. Evans is a direct example of discrimination operating through the legal system. Instead of a private act, the discrimination came from a government policy that singled out LGBTQ+ people. That makes it useful for spotting the difference between personal bias and structural inequality. ## On the AP Exam A quiz question may ask you to identify why Romer v. Evans was unconstitutional, so you should connect it to the Equal Protection Clause and state-sponsored discrimination. In a short essay, you might use it as evidence that legal systems can either protect LGBTQ+ people or exclude them from protection. If a prompt asks how stigma shows up in policy, this case is a strong example because the amendment tried to remove anti-discrimination safeguards before they could even be used. In discussion or document analysis, mention that the law targeted sexual orientation specifically, which is what made it such a clear civil rights issue. ## Romer v. Evans vs Bostock v. Clayton County Both cases are about LGBTQ+ rights and discrimination, but they deal with different legal settings. Romer v. Evans focused on a state law that removed protections from LGBTQ+ people, while Bostock v. Clayton County dealt with employment discrimination under federal law. If you mix them up, check whether the question is about constitutional equal protection or workplace rights. ## Key Takeaways - Romer v. Evans is a 1996 Supreme Court case that struck down a Colorado amendment targeting LGBTQ+ people. - The ruling said the state could not deny legal protection against discrimination to one group through the Equal Protection Clause. - In gender studies, the case shows how discrimination can be built into laws and public policy, not just individual behavior. - Colorado Amendment 2 is the specific law at the center of the case, and it is the easiest way to remember the ruling. - The case is often used to talk about stigma, legal inequality, and the fight for LGBTQ+ rights. ## FAQs ### What is Romer v. Evans in Intro to Gender Studies? Romer v. Evans is a Supreme Court case about LGBTQ+ discrimination and legal equality. The Court struck down a Colorado amendment that would have blocked anti-discrimination protections for sexual orientation. In gender studies, it is a major example of how law can reinforce or challenge stigma. ### What did Colorado Amendment 2 do? Colorado Amendment 2 would have prevented local governments from protecting LGBTQ+ people against discrimination. That meant cities could not pass rules covering housing, jobs, or other public areas. The Supreme Court said that kind of exclusion violated equal protection. ### How is Romer v. Evans different from Bostock v. Clayton County? Romer v. Evans dealt with a state constitutional amendment and equal protection, while Bostock v. Clayton County dealt with employment discrimination under federal law. Both matter for LGBTQ+ rights, but they come up in different legal contexts. If you are reading a case prompt, check whether the issue is state policy or workplace discrimination. ### Why does this case matter for LGBTQ+ stigma? The case shows that stigma is not only social, it can be written into law. When a government policy singles out LGBTQ+ people and strips away protections, that sends a message about who counts as worthy of rights. Gender studies uses the case to show how discrimination becomes structural. ## Related Study Guides - [12.2 Discrimination, stigma, and legal challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals](/introduction-gender-studies/unit-12/discrimination-stigma-legal-challenges-faced-lgbtq-individuals/study-guide/KnnVM2GVY571jhDv) ## About This Document Canonical Fiveable pages are available as Markdown at the same path plus `.md`. - [llms.txt](https://fiveable.me/llms.txt): index of Fiveable's sections and URL patterns - [llms-full.txt](https://fiveable.me/llms-full.txt): complete subject and unit listing - [MCP server](https://fiveable.me/mcp): call Fiveable as tools instead of fetching pages (`https://fiveable.me/api/mcp`) - [MCP server for AP teachers](https://fiveable.me/mcp/teachers): a teacher's classes, assignments and AP-rubric grading (`https://fiveable.me/api/mcp/teacher`) ## Structured Data ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"LearningResource","@id":"https://fiveable.me/introduction-gender-studies/key-terms/romer-v-evans#resource","name":"Romer v. 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