This book provides historical evidence to demonstrate the different ways in which the British empire spread laws criminalizing homosexual conduct amongst its colonies. Evidence includes case studies of former British colonies and the common law and criminal codes like the Indian Penal Code of 1860 and the Queensland Criminal Code of 1899. Surveying a wide range of countries, the book scrutinises whether ex-British colonies are more likely to have laws that criminalize homosexual conduct than other ex-colonies or other states in general. It interrogates the claim that British imperialism uniquely ‘poisoned’ societies against homosexuality, and looks at the legacies of colonialism and the politics and legal status of homosexuality across the globe.

Dr. Han is Associate Professor at the Department of Politics and Public Administration at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). He received a Ph.D in Political Science from the George Washington University in the United States in 2010. He was then a postdoctoral research fellowship in the China and the World Program at Princeton University. During 2015-2016, Dr. Han was a member at the School of Social Science, The Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton. Prior to Hong Kong, Dr. Han was Senior Lecturer at the Department of Politics and International Studies at SOAS, University of London.