The creation of the Universal Declaration of Human RightsHuman rightsUniversal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR, 1948) and the United Nations human rights system embedded ‘the family’ in human rights discourse, with effects that have always been problematic for queer politics. Existing research literature on sexuality, gender and rights has documented how lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender movements have engaged in contestations since the 1970s to claim inclusion within international human rights law. However, narratives of this contemporary history of human rights in gender and sexuality studies have tended to emphasise progressive expansion. By contrast, thriving global historical sociology and decolonisingColonialismdecolonisation perspectives require us to conceptualise how colonialColonialism influences continue to delimit how human rights have been articulated in relation to heterosexuality, including with respect to partnerships and marriage. This chapter takes the opportunity to reflect on human rights, the family and internationalism in relation to lives outside heterosexuality, and to consider how colonialismColonialism and EurocentrismCultural relativismeurocentrism have shaped conceptions and historical narratives of sexuality and human rights.