The Global Vanguard of LGBTQ Rights

The notion that LGBTQ rights are "Western ideas" is pervasive—but, as Holning Lau shows in this book, it is deeply flawed. Countries in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America are creating legal safeguards for LGBTQ rights and, in some cases, surpassing the Western Global North. In doing so, they have demonstrated leadership and innovation rather than mere emulation of the West. Lau shows that the global vanguard of LGBTQ rights includes an array of countries from the North, South, East, and West. He spotlights these "vanguard" nations and regional human rights institutions, and he offers a framework for understanding their breakthroughs in recognizing, bolstering, and globalizing LGBTQ rights. Drawing on a wide range of legal developments, this book not only challenges prevailing perspectives on human rights progress, it also reveals novel legal logics that could enrich discussions on LGBTQ law worldwide.