Tatchell has called for "all-inclusive equality laws" so that gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, and others will not be perceived as marginal groups seeking "special rights." He has proposed that Great Britain create a Department of Equality to ensure the welfare of all.

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Consequently, Tatchell has been critical of Britain's civil partnership law, which grants gay and lesbian couples most of the legal rights and responsibilities of married heterosexual couples, on the grounds that it ensrines into law differential treatment of homosexual and heterosexual couples.

Tatchell has also been active in opposing both the American-led war in Iraq and the persecution of glbtq people by the fundamentalist Islamic regimes in Iraq and Iran. He has pointed out that one of the unforeseen consequences of the Iraqi war has been the resurgence of Islamic radicalism in the country, and with it a wave of homophobic and misogynistic violence, including execution-style killings of gay men and unveiled women.

Tatchell has been especially critical of the "death fatwa" against gay men and lesbians issued by Iraq's most powerful religious leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

Whether or not people agree with Tatchell's ideas and methods, none can doubt his devotion to the advancement of glbtq rights.

In 2010, Tatchell accepted an honorary doctorate from the University of Sussex in recognition of his human rights campaigns.

Although Tatchell had refused other honors, he decided to accept this one "partly because the initiative for this honorary doctorate was a grassroots one, from the staff and students."

A form of behavior modification that employs unpleasant and sometimes painful stimuli, aversion therapy was one of the more popular treatments for homosexuality and cross-dressing in the 1950s and 1960s.

Until recently, British television embraced lesbians and gays as Them rather than Us, but a more diversified and nuanced approach to all kinds of sexuality is likely to be the case in the future.

Evangelical Christians, who tend to be fundamentalists and socially conservative, have not been welcoming to glbtq people.

While Germany, until recently, never officially accepted or welcomed members of the glbtq community, German culture and homosexuality have a long and significant history.

Attitudes toward gay and lesbian personnel in European militaries vary widely, from the acceptance of the Dutch to the laissez-faire policy of the French to the rejection of the Greek and Turkish forces.

First used by homophobes and then by glbtq activists, outing is the public revelation of a person's sexuality without the consent of that person.

Although the islands of the Caribbean are renowned for their pleasant tropical climate, the social climate for glbtq people is not always inviting and is sometimes dangerous.

Twentieth-century efforts to reform British law and public opinions about homosexuality met with mixed results, but at the beginning of the twenty-first century the United Kingdom has emerged as a leader in recognizing the rights of its glbtq citizens.

In British law, Section 28 of the Local Government Act, enforced from 1988 until 2003, prohibited the promotion of homosexuality and teaching the acceptability of homosexuality as a "pretended family relationship".

The European Commission on Human Rights was the first international human rights organization to condemn homophobia; the European Court of Human Rights, which replaced the Commission, has also helped enforce glbtq rights.

Formed soon after the Stonewall Riots of 1969, the short-lived but influential Gay Liberation Front brought a new militancy to the movement that became known as gay liberation.

The former head of Britain's first gay rights lobbying organization, Angela Mason has worked toward achieving equality for women and glbtq individuals in the United Kingdom.

The Persian Gay and Lesbian Organization (PGLO) advocates for civil and human rights for Iranian glbtq people around the world.

The confrontations between police and demonstrators at the Stonewall Inn in New York City the weekend of June 27-29, 1969 mark the beginning of the modern glbtq movement for equal rights.

Acclaimed Welsh rugby star Gareth Thomas is among the small number of professional athletes who have found the courage to come out as gay at the height of their careers.