Interview with Keio Yoshida by Freya Bennett
International human rights lawyer and author Keio Yoshida has spent years fighting for the legal recognition, safety, and dignity of LGBTQ+ people around the world. From the historic Rosanna Flamer Caldera v Sri Lanka case — the first to call for the decriminalisation of same-sex intimacy between women — to sharp analysis of today’s legal flashpoints like trans rights in the UK and Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, Yoshida’s work is both deeply principled and fiercely hopeful.
In this conversation, Yoshida shares the legal changes they wish they could make tomorrow, the countries that surprised them most, and why they draw strength from history, karaoke, and a queer tennis league in Madrid called Lesbian Garros.
You’ve worked on some groundbreaking legal cases for LGBTQ+ rights. If you could magically change one law tomorrow, what would it be and why?
Why can it only be one? I would like a convention on the elimination of discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, and within that convention a right to authentic queer life. I think we need a law that celebrates LGBTQ+ peoples existence, recognises our resistance and better protects our lived realities.
You were part of the team on a landmark case in Sri Lanka that called for decriminalising same-sex intimacy between women. What was that moment like—and did you expect it to have such global impact?
I was so delighted for Rosanna. This was her case. She was recognised in 2024 as one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world, and that recognition is so well deserved because she has been fighting for LGBTQ+ rights in Sri Lanka for over 20 years. As a lawyer its an amazing feeling to be able to support the work of activists on the ground.
You look at LGBTQ+ laws around the world—what’s one country that surprised you, either because it was far ahead or far behind where you thought it’d be?
I think the country that surprised me most was Ireland. It went from decriminalising ‘homosexuality’ in the 1990s after the Norris case, to being the first country to bring in gay marriage by referendum in 2015 at the same time as one of the world’s best laws for trans people in the same year. It really shows how change can happen fast.
Some of the legal fights you cover—like self-ID in the UK or Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill—have become really heated. How do you keep your cool when rights are being debated like political footballs?
I think these debates have always existed, even back in 1916 people were having discussions on whether sex as a category should be eliminated to progress women’s rights. You can see this in magazines such as Urania. I keep my cool by remembering that these are battles that have been fought throughout history and by people who had less rights than we have today. We owe it to the activists before us and those to come, to keep going. I also think it’s important to disconnect from the work and the human rights violations as – I play tennis, run, sing karaoke – it’s important as a form of self care.
You’ve worked on both women’s rights and LGBTQ+ rights—do you see any common threads between those struggles, or are they totally different legal beasts?
There is a clear common thread that runs through both these struggles and that is patriarchy. In my last book with Jen Robinson, we explain how men created laws for other men. Women and LGBTQ+ often didn’t come into the equation when laws were being drafted, and when they have been drafted the law has sometimes been interpreted in a way which oppresses rather than protects or celebrates. So the battle continues.
Laws can change, but hearts and minds are harder. Do you think the law can actually help shift public attitudes toward LGBTQ+ people—or does culture have to come first?
We need both to move together because if you don’t change culture, then the laws can’t be changed. Look at the rolling back of abortion rights after Roe v Wade, and what is happening on trans rights now across the world. We can never take laws and protections for granted, especially as women and LGBTQ+ people. For LGBTQ+ people changing hearts and minds has been such a major part of the legal journey. Having to come out and explain our humanity, like what trans people are doing now. Its slow and hard work, but we can make important legal gains.
What gives you hope? Is there a person, case, or movement out there right now that makes you feel like real progress is possible?
I live with so much joy and hope. I love that all over the world there are people organising and creating queer spaces and cultures. In Madrid for example there is an inclusive tennis league called Lesbian Garros, for lesbian, non binary and trans people who want to play tennis together. There are people who spend their time creating these queer possibilities of encounter. I´m so grateful to these people, often young people, who form part of a broader movement for LGBTQ+ rights.
