9781422275269

sexual and gender minorities—but we do know that many societies’ attitudes were, in fact, shaped by colonization. In addition to the knowledge we have of some cultures’ histories, which we will discuss, we can know that diversity existed because, as the human rights advocate Peter Tatchell points out on his Web site, “If there was no homosexuality … why bother to include laws criminalizing it, unless to target those who were practicing it?” The Legacy of Colonialism Many of the societies that these laws were forced upon have taken them to heart so strongly that they feel that their negative attitudes toward LGBTQ people are part of their native culture, even if their pre-colonial history had no such negativity. They talk about the new pressure on human rights from outside forces as a new kind of imperialism—“cultural imperialism” or “neo-colonialism.” And they’re not completely wrong. It’s one of the deep ironies of history that the European and North American countries that are trying to take the lead on acceptance of LGBTQ people are the same countries that shaped much of the world’s negative attitudes in the first place. This history can make it even more difficult for LGBTQ organizations and individuals in their work to gain LGBTQ rights. Countries that had anti-LGBTQ laws forced upon them now defend those laws against outside pressure that they perceive as trying to meddle in their countries. They double-down on colonial laws to fight against neo- colonialism. Far to Go According to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association (ILGBTIA), an international advocacy group, 72 out of the 195 countries in the world have laws targeting sexual or gender minorities. The cultures of many other countries make it difficult for

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Introduction