Introduction: definitions and general framework Sexual orientation and gender identity The acronym LGBT is used throughout this report to refer to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons. 2 The terms lesbian, gay and bisexual refer to the concept of sexual orientation. This in turn is defined as the predilection of an individual to be attracted emotionally and/or physically to individuals either of the same sex (homosexual), the opposite sex (heterosexual), or of more than one sex (bisexual). A transgender person can be defined in relation to the concept of gender identity, referring to the gender that an individual self-identifies with, regardless of whether or not it corresponds to the sex assigned at birth. A transgender woman may well be described as a person born with a male sex but who does not selfidentify as a man. Conversely, one speaks of a transgender man as a person born with a female sex but who self-identifies as a man. It was also emphasised that gender identity should be understood as a continuum between the two poles of masculine and feminine and that many people reject a rigid identification with one or the other of the two genders. This identity fluidity explains why transgender persons do not necessarily opt for sex reassignment surgery. Today, many countries condemn those considered to have a different sexual orientation than the accepted social norm and/or do not recognise the concept that gender identity may differ from the sex assigned at birth. Moreover, even in societies considered more tolerant and progressive it is clear that a taboo prevails on issues of sexuality, one that is even more pronounced in prison settings where the binary "man versus woman" and "masculine versus feminine" views leave little room for sexual diversity. 2 The letter "I" is sometimes added at the end of the LGBT acronym to designate intersex people. However, as the situation of those persons was not addressed during the symposium, LGBT is therefore the preferred acronym here. 7