by Paul Dillane, David Davies of Llandinam Fellow in International Relations, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
Excerpt:
Across the world, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT+) people face widespread discrimination and violence. More than a third of countries criminalise consensual adult same-sex relations.I In many countries, transgender people face extreme violence, not to mentionobstacles to legal gender recognition and healthcare.
The Commonwealth is home to 2.4 billion people, approximately 30% of the world’s population. 35 of 54 Member States retain laws which criminalise homosexuality, the majority of which can be traced to the UK’s colonial past, meaning millions of people face blackmail, arrest and imprisonment, as well as poor access to basic services such as employment, heath and housing, because of who they are and who they love.
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