LGBT Rights in the Commonwealth: historical legacies and contemporary reforms: Session 1

LGBT Rights in the Commonwealth: historical legacies and contemporary reforms: Session 1 Institute of Commonwealth Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London Session 1: Sodomy Laws in the Commonwealth a. The History of Sodomy laws in the Commonwealth – how the colonial legacy affects LGBT rights today Alok Gupta – Human Rights Watch b. LGBT Rights and the principle of Equality in Commonwealth meetings and Commonwealth declarations Fred Cowell - Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative London (CHRI) Chair: Corinne Lennox – Institute of Commonwealth Studies Institute of Commonwealth Studies (ICwS) & Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) The legacy of colonial legislation on the contemporary rights of lesbians, gay, bisexual and transgender people (LGBT) in Commonwealth countries requires further examination and a strengthened advocacy response. Recent years have witnessed increased advocacy by civil society in Commonwealth states and vis‐à‐vis Commonwealth institutions on this issue. There is very little systematic cooperation across research and civil society actors to share information and identify possible solutions for redressing current rights violations and the ongoing hostility towards LGBT rights defenders and members of the LGBT community. This meeting will bring together academics and practitioners to examine the legal, political and civil society issues that influence LGBT rights and especially decriminalisation of homosexuality in the Commonwealth. The outputs will contribute to strengthening advocacy strategies for the 2011 Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting. Papers presented will include country and regional case studies on decriminalisation in south Asia, Uganda, Canada and the Caribbean; and an analysis of the Naz Foundation judgement, the social aspects of decriminalising homosexuality and an overview of the historic origins of sodomy laws in colonial legislation. Already confirmed presenters include Alok Gupta (Human Rights Watch), Rahul Rao (SOAS), Dimitrina Petrova (Equal Rights Trust), Matthew Waites (Glasgow) and Tarunabh Khaitan (Oxford). We would welcome a wide range of attendees so as to have a debate from a multitude of perspectives on a complex multi‐faceted issue. This event is being co‐organised by the Institute of Commonwealth Studies and the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative. Funding support has been generously received from the Human Rights Consortium at the School of Advanced Study, University of London 17/01/2011