Human Rights, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in The Commonwealth - University of London Press Skip to main content Search Search Home Books Open access Series Subject Journals Publish with us Author testimonials Open Access policy Artificial Intelligence policy Peer review and publication ethics Submit a proposal About us Funding and governance Meet the team News Our mission Projects, partners and initiatives Publishing partners Stay in touch Information Accessibility Digital editions FAQs For authors For booksellers and librarians For reviewers and media Open Access Rights and permissions Statistics Training Hub Books Journals Open Access Revising your PhD Thesis for Publication Peer review Marketing Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License Copyright: © Authors 2013 DOI: https://doi.org/10.14296/518.9781912250134 Number of pages: 576 Number of illustrations: 3 Publication date: 1 May 2018 To request a review copy of this title, please email us: [email protected] Human Rights, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in The Commonwealth Corinne Lennox (Editor), Matthew Waites (Editor) Published in association with: Institute of Commonwealth Studies Download (PDF) Purchase Paperback (UK) – £26.99 Paperback (US) – $35.99 EPUB (UK) – £26.99 Human rights in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity are at last reaching the heart of global debates. Yet 78 states worldwide continue to criminalise same-sex sexual behaviour, and due to the legal legacies of the British Empire, 42 of these – more than half – are in the Commonwealth of Nations. In recent years many states have seen the emergence of new sexual nationalisms, leading to increased enforcement of colonial sodomy laws against men, new criminalisations of sex between women and discrimination against transgender people. Human Rights, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in The Commonwealth challenges these developments as the first book to focus on experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) and all non-heterosexual people in the Commonwealth. The volume offers the most internationally extensive analysis to date of the global struggle for decriminalisation of same-sex sexual behaviour and relationships. Contents Formats Authors Subjects Accessibility 1 Human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity in the Commonwealth: from history and law to developing activism and transnational dialogues – Corinne Lennox and Matthew Waites 2 The sodomy offence: England’s least lovely criminal law export? – The Hon. Michael Kirby AC CMG 3 This alien legacy: the origins of ‘sodomy’ laws in British colonialism – Human Rights Watch 4 LGBT rights in Commonwealth forums: politics, pitfalls and progress? – Frederick Cowell 5 United Kingdom: confronting criminal histories and theorising decriminalisation as citizenship and governmentality – Matthew Waites 6 Wolfenden in Canada: within and beyond official discourse in law reform struggles – Gary Kinsman 7 Australia: nine jurisdictions, one long struggle – Graham Willett 8 A few respectable steps behind the world? Gay and lesbian rights in contemporary Singapore – Simon Obendorf 9 The Malaysian dilemma: negotiating sexual diversity in a Muslim-majority Commonwealth state – Shanon Shah 10 Decriminalisation of consensual same-sex sexual acts in the South Asian Commonwealth: struggles in contexts – Sumit Baudh 11 Decriminalising homosexuality in Africa: lessons from the South African experience – Gustavo Gomes da Costa Santos 12 The development of sexual rights and the LGBT movement in Botswana – Monica Tabengwa with Nancy Nicol 13 The LGBT situation in Malawi: an activist perspective – Undule Mwakasungula 14 The incremental approach: Uganda’s struggle for the decriminalisation of homosexuality – Adrian Jjuuko 15 Religious institutions and actors and religious attitudes to homosexual rights: South Africa and Uganda – Kevin Ward 16 ‘Buggery’ and the Commonwealth Caribbean: a comparative examination of the Bahamas, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago – Joseph Gaskins Jr. 17 Beyond cross-cultural sensitivities: international human rights advocacy and sexuality in Jamaica – Conway Blake and Philip Dayle 18 The use of equality and anti-discrimination law in advancing LGBT rights – Dimitrina Petrova 19 Conclusion Comparative analysis of decriminalisation and change across the Commonwealth: understanding contexts and discerning strategies – Corinne Lennox and Matthew Waite PDF: 9781912250134 EPUB: 9781912250554 Paperback: 9780957354883 / 576 pages / mm x mm Corinne Lennox (Editor) Dr Corinne Lennox is Senior Lecturer in Human Rights at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies and Associate Director of the Human Rights Consortium at the School of Advanced Study, University of London. Matthew Waites (Editor) Subject: Commonwealth Studies , Human Rights BISAC codes: POL035010, SOC032000 Thema codes: JBSF, JPVH Keywords: British empire, Commonwealth, LGBT, activism, gender identity, human rights, reform EPUB accessibility: Accessibility summary EPUB Accessibility Specification 1.1 Table of contents navigation Single logical reading order Short alternative textual descriptions Print-equivalent page numbering Use of color is not sole means of conveying information Next / Previous structural navigation ARIA roles provided Appearance of all textual content can be modified All non-decorative content supports reading without sight WCAG v2.2 WCAG level A WCAG level AA Compliance certification by (name) More books in this subject area Organised Crime and Migration Victorie Knox 25 June 2026 Capitalism, Colonisation and the Ecocide-Genocide Nexus Martin Crook 21 November 2024 Refugee Reception in Southern Africa Nicholas Maple 18 July 2024 Achieving Access to Justice in a Business and Human Rights Context Virginie Rouas 14 January 2022 The Terms of Our Surrender Elizabeth Cassell 1 October 2021 A Matter of Trust Anne Thurston 1 December 2020 Mapping Crisis Doug Specht 14 September 2020 A World You Do Not Know Colin Samson 24 April 2020 Contemporary Challenges in Securing Human Rights Corinne Lennox 31 March 2020 International Responses to Mass Atrocities in Africa Kurt Mills 31 January 2020 Thou Shalt Forget Pierrot Ross-Tremblay 15 November 2019 Envisioning Global LGBT Human Rights Nancy Nicol Adrian Jjuuko Richard Lusimbo Nick Mulé Susan Ursel Amar Wahab Phyllis Waugh 13 September 2018 University of London Press Senate House Malet St London WC1E 7HU T: 020 7862 8000 The Press Mission and values Publishing partners Submit a proposal Open Access policy Resources Authors Digital editions Statistics Rights and permissions Our training hub Site help Privacy policy Website accessibility Equity, diversity and inclusion EU Declaration of Conformity Disclaimers FAQs Contact us The University of London Press is supported by the School of Advanced Study, University of London. © 2026 University of London Press, unless otherwise stated Website by Bookswarm with data from Consonance Manage Consent To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. 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