Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- Patriarchy and democracy -- Imperialism and patriarchy -- The rise of gay rights -- The fall of empire -- The fall of empire from the rise of gay rights to the 1967 decriminalization -- The fall of empire in the era of gay rights in the United States and Britain -- A. American resistance movements -- B. Impact on Britain and elsewhere -- Conservative reaction in the United States -- Limited impact on Britain and elsewhere -- Gay rights in former British colonies : legacy of empire? -- Canada -- South Africa -- India -- Gay rights as universal human rights -- Bibliography.