This book was conceived in response to the 2008 celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Despite this Declaration, which was adopted in 1948, sexual minorities around the world are routinely subjected to flagrant human rights violations (particularly by governments) that range from subtle discrimination to imprisonment, torture, the death penalty and murder. There are still countries where gays and lesbians are not considered human and human rights are not, therefore, considered applicable. In this book the problem is summarized in these words: ‘Homophobia appears to be the last accepted prejudice, where racism is rejected, anti-Semitism is condemned and hatred of women has lost its legitimacy.