Ultraken wrote:Assuming lycanthropes have human intelligence in all forms, they would be legally regarded as people, not animals. Animals do not have the reasoning abilities of people, so the law falls on their owners, caretakers, and handlers instead.
If lycanthropy is hereditary and non-transmissible, and the lycanthrope retains full human intelligence in all forms, there is little justification for legal discrimination. The only exception is that the law would consider a lycanthrope always armed, whether or not they intend violence--the potential is always there. Lycanthropy would be regarded as "concealed carry" in human form and "open carry" in gestalt and animal form. Attacking someone in gestalt or animal form would likely be treated as "aggravated assault" or "assault with a deadly weapon", and punished harshly.
If it is infectious, then equality becomes much more difficult.
Agreed, a lycanthrope's gestalt form, with it's increased strength, teeth and claws, would be considered a weapon in itself, and attacking someone while in that form would amount to assault with a deadly weapon, or worse, attempted murder.
If lycantropy is infectious, werewolves would be treated like a loaded gun and someone infected with AIDS, dentists would probably want to keep far away from a Werewolf's mouth (even when the fellow is in human form) in fear of getting infected. There'd be a debate if a WW was injured and stuck in gestalt form should be taken to the hospital or to the vet clinic.
On a positive note, there probably would be established 'Werewolf Sactuaries' where a werewolf could run around in Gestalt form without worrying about scaring humans
Jobs a Werewolf would do well in and would be wanted:
as a Game Warden, Coast Guard, Search&Rescue, Nature/hunting guide, work in the police squad (imagine getting pulled over for a ticket by a ww police officer in gestalt form) Army would no doubt like a few in their ranks, literally sniffing out the bad guys.
Customs, border control.....
Heh, could have the biggest, baddest bouncer in town
be a damn good mail delivery person, scare off dogs
Lawyer (you might hate them, but best to have a ww lawyer if a ww gets in trouble)
you probably wouldn't have WWs working as doctors (except to treat other WWs) , or near food, water, soda....... any profession that might let the werewolf contagion pass on to a large number of people.