diff -r 80f0c7d5deda Lib/test/test_sax.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_sax.py	Sat Dec 08 22:45:09 2012 -0500
+++ b/Lib/test/test_sax.py	Sun Dec 09 14:16:43 2012 +0200
@@ -14,6 +14,10 @@
 from xml.sax.handler import feature_namespaces
 from xml.sax.xmlreader import InputSource, AttributesImpl, AttributesNSImpl
 from cStringIO import StringIO
+import os
+import shutil
+import sys
+import test.test_support as support
 from test.test_support import findfile, run_unittest
 import unittest
 
@@ -384,6 +388,20 @@
 
         self.assertEqual(result.getvalue(), xml_test_out)
 
+    def test_expat_file_unicode(self):
+        fname = support.TESTFN_UNICODE
+        shutil.copyfile(TEST_XMLFILE, fname)
+        self.addCleanup(os.remove, fname)
+
+        parser = create_parser()
+        result = StringIO()
+        xmlgen = XMLGenerator(result)
+
+        parser.setContentHandler(xmlgen)
+        parser.parse(open(fname))
+
+        self.assertEqual(result.getvalue(), xml_test_out)
+
     # ===== DTDHandler support
 
     class TestDTDHandler:
@@ -523,6 +541,20 @@
 
         self.assertEqual(result.getvalue(), xml_test_out)
 
+    def test_expat_inpsource_sysid_unicode(self):
+        fname = support.TESTFN_UNICODE
+        shutil.copyfile(TEST_XMLFILE, fname)
+        self.addCleanup(os.remove, fname)
+
+        parser = create_parser()
+        result = StringIO()
+        xmlgen = XMLGenerator(result)
+
+        parser.setContentHandler(xmlgen)
+        parser.parse(InputSource(fname))
+
+        self.assertEqual(result.getvalue(), xml_test_out)
+
     def test_expat_inpsource_stream(self):
         parser = create_parser()
         result = StringIO()
@@ -596,6 +628,21 @@
         self.assertEqual(parser.getSystemId(), TEST_XMLFILE)
         self.assertEqual(parser.getPublicId(), None)
 
+    def test_expat_locator_withinfo_unicode(self):
+        fname = support.TESTFN_UNICODE
+        shutil.copyfile(TEST_XMLFILE, fname)
+        self.addCleanup(os.remove, fname)
+
+        result = StringIO()
+        xmlgen = XMLGenerator(result)
+        parser = create_parser()
+        parser.setContentHandler(xmlgen)
+        parser.parse(fname)
+
+        self.assertEqual(parser.getSystemId(),
+                         fname.encode(sys.getfilesystemencoding()))
+        self.assertEqual(parser.getPublicId(), None)
+
 
 # ===========================================================================
 #
diff -r 80f0c7d5deda Lib/xml/sax/saxutils.py
--- a/Lib/xml/sax/saxutils.py	Sat Dec 08 22:45:09 2012 -0500
+++ b/Lib/xml/sax/saxutils.py	Sun Dec 09 14:16:43 2012 +0200
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 """
 
 import os, urlparse, urllib, types
+import sys
 import handler
 import xmlreader
 
@@ -284,13 +285,18 @@
     returns a fully resolved InputSource object ready for reading."""
 
     if type(source) in _StringTypes:
+        if isinstance(source, unicode):
+            source = source.encode(sys.getfilesystemencoding())
         source = xmlreader.InputSource(source)
     elif hasattr(source, "read"):
         f = source
         source = xmlreader.InputSource()
         source.setByteStream(f)
         if hasattr(f, "name"):
-            source.setSystemId(f.name)
+            fname = f.name
+            if isinstance(fname, unicode):
+                fname = fname.encode(sys.getfilesystemencoding())
+            source.setSystemId(fname)
 
     if source.getByteStream() is None:
         sysid = source.getSystemId()
diff -r 80f0c7d5deda Lib/xml/sax/xmlreader.py
--- a/Lib/xml/sax/xmlreader.py	Sat Dec 08 22:45:09 2012 -0500
+++ b/Lib/xml/sax/xmlreader.py	Sun Dec 09 14:16:43 2012 +0200
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 should be based on this code. """
 
 import handler
+import sys
 
 from _exceptions import SAXNotSupportedException, SAXNotRecognizedException
 
@@ -201,6 +202,8 @@
     application, although it may make copies and modify those."""
 
     def __init__(self, system_id = None):
+        if isinstance(system_id, unicode):
+            system_id = system_id.encode(sys.getfilesystemencoding())
         self.__system_id = system_id
         self.__public_id = None
         self.__encoding  = None