King Charles III urged to apologise for "Britain’s export of anti-LGBTQ+ laws" to colonies
On Commonwealth Day, Monday, 9 March, the Peter Tatchell Foundation will stage a protest outside Westminster Abbey as the Commonwealth service takes place, from 3pm calling for "urgent action" by King Charles III to address the legacy of anti-LGBTQ+ laws imposed during the British Empire.
Fifty activists, including campaigners from Uganda, Bangladesh and other Commonwealth nations, will gather to highlight the fact that 29 Commonwealth countries still criminalise same-sex relationships - nearly all under laws derived from Britain’s colonial-era penal codes. Most former colonies retained these statutes after independence.
The LGBTQ+ campaigners from Commonwealth countries where being gay is still a crime, will then march to Buckingham Palace to deliver a formal letter to His Majesty King Charles III. It urges him, as Head of the Commonwealth, to apologise for Britain’s historical role in exporting these laws and to acknowledge the harm they continue to cause.
Peter Tatchell, Director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, said: “The criminalisation of LGBTQ+ people across most of the Commonwealth was imposed through British colonial rule and in the name of successive monarchs. These laws were exported from Westminster and embedded in penal codes in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Pacific.
“An apology from the King would not interfere in the sovereignty of Commonwealth nations. It would acknowledge historical truth and be consistent with the human rights principles of the Commonwealth Charter. Decriminalisation is not Western interference - criminalisation was,” said Mr Tatchell.
Abbey Kiwanuka, Ugandan LGBT+ activist from Out and Proud African LGBTI, added: “In Uganda and elsewhere, politicians often claim anti-gay laws defend ‘African values.’ But these laws were introduced by British colonial authorities. They are not indigenous traditions — they are colonial exports.
“When the Head of the Commonwealth acknowledges this history, it strengthens our human rights struggle. An apology would give hope to LGBTs facing imprisonment, violence and discrimination”, he said.
The Peter Tatchell Foundation is urging the Commonwealth to live up to its Charter commitment to equality, human rights and dignity for all.
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