377: The British colonial law that left an anti-LGBTQ legacy in Asia

For much of the past two centuries, it was illegal to be gay in a vast swathe of the world - thanks to colonial Britain.

Till today, colonial-era laws that ban homosexuality continue to exist in former British territories including parts of Africa and Oceania.

But it is in Asia where they have had a significantly widespread impact. This is the region where, before India legalised homosexual sex in 2018, at least one billion people lived with anti-LGBTQ legislation.

It can be traced back to one particular law first conceptualised in India, and one man's mission to "modernise" the colony.