The United Kingdom is notorious for its legacy of spreading homophobia and transphobia through imperialism, which prevails as a never-ending colonial hangover across the world.

While Queen Elizabeth II was knighted in 1952, it wasn’t till 2003 that she showed any signs of recognizing queer folks, when she vowed to bring legislation on marriage equality, which took another decade to be passed in law: "Who’d have thought 62 years ago when I came to the throne, I’d be signing something like this? Isn’t it wonderful?" she said.

In 2017, she promised to discrimination on the basis of gender, race, faith, disability and sexual orientation, SCMP reports.

Apart from these two instances, it’s hard to come through any LGBTQI+ references made by the queen. A crown cannot undo the rampant hate that proliferates through the country’s media and courtrooms, that continues to normalize debates on someone’s right to live as who they are.

From transphobic legislation on the harmful practice of so-called ‘conversion therapy’ to the rising hate crimes, the country’s hostility to LGBTQI+ people continues to reflect the anti-LGBTQI+ laws that remain in other parts of the world that it ruled.