Call for Volunteers: Pride Festivities 2024

Pride parades around the world have grown into massive, colourful celebrations of 2SLGBTQ+ joy.

Rainbow Faith and Freedom will be marching and holding a booth at Pride Toronto this year to celebrate 2SLGBTQ+ joy. We know that a considerable amount of homophobia and transphobia stems from misguided religion. RFF is working to ensure that all 2SLGBTQ+ folks can celebrate with their faith communities and that religious-based homophobia and transphobia is reduced for the whole 2SLGBTQ+ community.

Please join us for this special moment!

• Staff a shift at our booth and talk to Pride attendees about RFF; you can choose your own shift

• March in the parade with us on June 30!

Please send your responses to volunteer@rainbowfaithandfreedom.org.

We look forward to seeing you!

Why RFF Matters

There are still 72 of 195 countries in the world (37%) where same-sex sexual activity is criminalized (1). 32 of those countries, nearly half, are in Africa (44%); 23 are in Asia (32%), 10 are in the Americas (14%), and six are in Oceania (8%).  

LGBTI(2) people in these countries live with the real, state-sanctioned reality of overt discrimination, arrest, and imprisonment. In eight countries, LGBTI people are subject to the death penalty.

The principle opposition to equality rights for LGBTI people stems from mainstream organized religion, whose tenets and teachings are based on ancient texts/books over two millennia in the making. The interpretation of those texts has varied over history – occasionally to suit the time, a moral or societal imperative, or a crisis of confidence by followers of the religious institution itself (think Savonarola and the “Bonfires of the Vanities” during the Renaissance period).

Modern religious scholarship has shown that there is a continuum of interpretation of the sacred texts of Christianity (the Bible), Judaism (the Torah), Hinduism (the Vedas), and Islam (the Qur’an). A strict, or fundamentalist, interpretation of the Bible, for example, would prohibit women from wearing red because red is associated with immorality, adultery and prostitution (Revelations 17, 1 – 6).  The practicality of barring all women from wearing red in 2018 is improbable and almost impossible.  

Yet when it comes to the issue of homosexuality, a strict or literal interpretation is commonly and currently used to deny, restrict and repress the human and equality rights of LGBTI people.

As Idan Dershowitz, a biblical scholar, wrote in the The New York Times (July 21, 2018 – “The Secret History of Leviticus”), “No text has had a greater influence on attitudes toward gay people than the biblical book of Leviticus, which prohibits sex between men. Before Leviticus was composed, outright prohibitions against homosexual sex — whether between men or women — were practically unheard-of in the ancient world.

Chapter 18 of Leviticus contains a list of forbidden incestuous acts, followed by prohibitions against sex with a menstruating woman, bestiality and various other sexual acts. In Verse 22, we find its most famous injunction: “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.” (Leviticus 20:13 repeats this law, along with a punishment for those who violate it: “They shall be put to death; their blood is upon them.”)

Like many ancient texts, Leviticus was created gradually over a long period and includes the words of more than one writer. Many scholars believe that the section in which Leviticus 18 appears was added by a comparatively late editor, perhaps one who worked more than a century after the oldest material in the book was composed. An earlier edition of Leviticus, then, may have been silent on the matter of sex between men.”

Recent history (the latter half of the 20th century until present day) has shown that securing human and equality rights for LGBTI people is a long, hard struggle in many countries. Change, in its many forms, is often gradual and the result of a confluence of forces working together to advance broader individual rights within a country.  As of May 2017, there are 124 United Nations Member States (of 193 – 64%) with no legal penalties for consensual same-sex sexual activity. This is incredible progress for LGBTI people.

Rainbow Faith and Freedom’s focus is on those countries and areas of the world where religious-based LGBTI discrimination continues to deny human and equality rights for LGBTI people.

(1) International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association: Carroll, A. and Mendos, L.R., State Sponsored Homophobia 2017: A world survey of sexual orientation laws: criminalisation, protection and recognition (Geneva; ILGA, May 2017).

(2) The Acronym LGBTI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Intersex) is used when referring to international human and equality rights for LGBTI people. The acronym 2SLGBTI (Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Intersex) is used when referring specifically to the 2SLGBTI community in Canada.

The Pride Parade

Pride parades around the world have grown into massive, colourful celebrations of 2SLGBTQ+ joy. While we love that many see Pride as a fun party, we at RFF also feel it is important to acknowledge the history of how Pride came to be.

The Pride parade can be traced back to the Stonewall Riots in June 1969. The Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City, was raided by the police, leading to several nights of protests and clashes between the 2SLGBTQ+ community and law enforcement. 
In commemoration of the first anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, the Christopher Street Liberation Day March was organized in New York City on June 28, 1970. This event, which included a parade and rally, marked the first Gay Pride March in U.S. history.

The Toronto Pride Parade specifically can be traced back to the 1981 Bathhouse Raids. In February 1981, the Toronto police conducted Operation Soap, a series of raids on several gay bathhouses in the city, leading to the arrest of over 300 men. The humiliation and outing of these men by police sparked outrage and protests across the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Toronto’s first unofficial Pride parade came a month later in response this and other incidents of police harassment of the 2SLGBTQ+ community. 10 years later, Toronto officially changed the name of this annual parade to that of a Pride parade.

Many social movements have been birthed and led by those most marginalized, often trans folks of colour. This was particularly true in the case of the Stonewall Riots. We support Pride Toronto and Pride parades around the world in continuing the work of ensuring that Pride is for everyone. We support an intersectional Pride that acknowledges the diversity of experience that comes from varying ages, abilities, genders, classes, races, faith, and other identities.

Rainbow Faith and Freedom will be marching and holding a booth at Pride Toronto this year to celebrate 2SLGBTQ+ joy. We know that a considerable amount of homophobia and transphobia stems from misguided religion. RFF is working to ensure that all 2SLGBTQ+ folks can celebrate with their faith communities and that religious-based homophobia and transphobia is reduced for the whole 2SLGBTQ+ community.

If you would like to march with us at this year’s Pride parade or help us with our booth over the June 23rd - 25th weekend we’d love to have you join us. Fill out this form to get involved!

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 2022

On National Truth and Reconciliation day we reflect on Canada’s history of residential schools. Here at Rainbow Faith and Freedom we are spending today and everyday remembering and learning about the children who were abused or never came home and how this still impacts their families today. From 1831 to 1996 over 150,000 Indigenous children were ripped from their homes by the Canadian government and local Christian institutions and forced to attend residential schools. There, children were forbidden to speak their Indigenous language, were forced to cut their hair and disparage sacred Indigenous hair traditions, force themselves into a colonial hetoeronormative gender binary, forced to eat food they could not properly digest (if fed at all), perform hard labour, and locked in windowless rooms where they were subjected to sexual, physical and emotional abuse. DDT insecticide was used on their scalps; an agricultural insecticide that was banned in the 1970s due to health concerns. Thousands of children never came home from residential schools due to disease, fire, violence, and overall direct neglect. While it is hard to have an accurate number of those who died, we know it is well into the thousands. This does not include those who have died due to the intergenerational trauma caused by these schools.

Today we see the lingering effects of residential schools in the excessively high rates of Indigenous people in the Canadian carceral system, substance abuse, high suicide rates, a reliance on survival sex work*, and the amount of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. While progress has been made in reparations with the Indigenous people of Canada, not enough has been done. Turtle Island (commonly known as North America) was taken by force from the Indigenous people and colonized. For too long we have forgotten to look to our Indigenous communities for their wisdom. The Indigenous people had a dynamic and fluid understanding of gender and sexuality. They have taken care of our planet while colonizers have worked to destroy it. 

Today on National Truth and Reconciliation Day and every other day of the year we must remember the strength and tenacity of our Indigenous communities. We must also work continuously to heal the wounds of residential schools and continuous marginalization of Indigenous peoples. If you or your organization are looking for a place to start we recommend visiting the Native Land website to learn more about the traditional land you live on.

 We would like to acknowledge that most of the work of RFF takes place on the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.

*While RFF supports all sex workers in their agency we want to acknowledge that the ratio of Indigenous women in street-based sex work (which is incredibly dangerous due to the criminalization of sex work) is astronomically high. 

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To learn more about the 94 Calls to Action for Reconciling and to track how our government's progress visit: https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/longform-single/beyond-94?&cta=1

To donato to Indspire visit: https://indspire.ca/ways-to-give/donate/
Indspire is a Indigenous national charity that invests in the education of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people for the long-term benefit of these individuals, their families and communities, and Canada.

Resource Portal Highlight - Buddhism & Queerness

Today's RFF resource portal highlight includes a variety of articles that tackle the intersection of queerness, race, and Buddhism. We hope these resources encourage you to feel comfortable interlacing all your different identities so that you may live life harmoniously. Whether you are interested in learning more about how Buddhism understands queerness or are looking for support, we hope these articles give you new encouragement and wisdom.



Autostraddle 's The Angsty Buddhist: Growing Up Kinda-Sorta Buddhist - A mid-length narrative about growing up as a Chinese American, nonbinary, and finding my own relationship with Buddhism, in a country where so many of its ideas have been whitewashed.

All Beings Are Equally Embraced By Amida Buddha": Jodo Shinshu Buddhism And Same-Sex Marriage In The United States - An academic article explaining why Jodo Shinshu Buddhists in America widely and easily affirmed same-sex weddings in the later 20th and early 21st centuries.

The Black Queer Buddhist teacher who is Smashing Stereotypes and Leading an Awakening on the Left - An interview with Rev. angel Kyodo williams (@zenchangeangel) on the intersection of Blackness, queerness and Buddhism.

TransBuddhism - an interview with the creators of transbuddhists.org. The practitioners share insight on their experiences as transgender folks in the Buddhist community and the challenges they face. This includes the lack of trans inclusivity at retreats, within their community, and from their teachers. They offer tips for Buddhsit practitioners to become more aware and to celebrate their transgender Buddhist community.

See Us Clearly: A Buddhist’s View of Transgender Visibility - Ray Buckner shares their experience as to what it means to be gender-queer, trans, and Buddhist, and how all of these identities can fit together harmoniously. They share the importance of visibility to trans identity, and how a Buddhist practice can foster this.

Religious Intolerance Happens in Canada Too

“Civil rights are never ‘won’ … they’re just advanced to be better prepared for the next battle.”

… Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes, Founder and Executive Director of Rainbow Faith and Freedom

Last week, RFF’s Founder and Executive Director was officially sanctioned by the government of Russia, joining the likes of Prime Minister Trudeau, Deputy PM Freeland and US President Biden.

While Russia may seem the extreme example of intolerance and lack of acceptance rooted in religious beliefs, similar sentiments are driving policy backwards for millions of people just south of our border.

In an op-ed published in today’s Globe & Mail, Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes addresses his Russian sanction, the US Supreme Court’s recent ruling on Roe V. Wade, the legal threats potentially facing marriage equality in America, the rise of populist rhetoric and subsequent occupations here in Canada – and how toxic, extremist religious messaging intertwines itself through all these developments.

Rainbow Faith and Freedom was founded in 2018 to create a home for the global movement that confronts religious discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. These recent developments demonstrate why an organization like ours is so important still today.

You can read Brent’s full op-ed HERE.

To learn more about RFF and to support our work, please visit https://rainbowfaithandfreedom.org/ourmission.

Worshipping with Love

Although Canada is a leader in 2SLGBTQ+ legislation, many people in different sectors of Canadian society still experience homophobia and transphobia. This has led to higher rates of suicide, addiction, and mental health issues in these communities. It has also led to higher rates of unemployment, hate crimes, and marginalization. 2SLGBTQ+ discrimination is often justified by religious belief by different faith traditions. Canada is currently at an important juncture: now that conversion therapy has been banned, other, more insidious and invisible efforts could take their place in faith-based communities to force individuals to repress their sexual and gender identity.

RFF is a leader in this new chapter of LGBTI activism. This chapter begins with Worshiping with Love, a project RFF developed to create a safer place for 2SLGBTQ+ people everywhere, but specifically for 2SLGBTQ+ people of faith. Worshiping with Love is a 2-year, Ontario-based project funded by Women and Gender Equality Canada. We will start by conducting research alongside 2SLGBTQ+ folks and affirming faith organizations to better understand the extent and impact of religious-based discrimination. We will examine both the best practices of affirming faith communities and barriers experienced by those trying to become affirming. The results of all our research will be published on our website, in our newsletter and on social media, and shared with everyone who has participated. We will develop resources and materials to both create awareness and increase organizations' capabilities to become affirming to the 2SLGBTQ+ community. The materials will be distributed online, for faith-based institutions such as places of worship and community organizations across Ontario.

Though RFF has a global mandate to end religious-based discrimination, this particular project is focused on Ontario, Canada and achieving inclusion and equality for 2SLGBTQ+ people in Ontario.

We're Hiring!

Request for Quotation

Research Lead to Develop and Implement a Research Project

Ontario-Wide Religious-based Homophobia and Transphobia Research Report

     I.Background

Rainbow Faith and Freedom (“RFF”) is a Toronto-based charity that directly confronts and ends religious-based discrimination to make the world safer for LGBTI people and their allies. To do this, RFF advocates to change the hearts and minds of religious communities to be affirming and inclusive of LGBTI people and their allies. Led by Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes, a former Senior Pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto, RFF is committed to inspiring faith communities and families to be safe places for LGBTI people by changing the hearts and minds of individuals, specifically people of faith, around the world.

RFF is a unique Canadian organization because it recognizes that religious-based discrimination is a problem in Canada. RFF, in contrast to most other LGBTI human rights organizations, does not believe that religious belief can be ignored any longer in the fight to end homophobia and transphobia. Because religious institutions continue to weaponize belief to perpetuate discrimination of LGBTQI people, and because religious belief is a human right, religious-discrimination must be confronted from a religious perspective that both affirms and is inclusive of  LGBTI identity and faith.

II.         Project Description

The Problem

Although Canada is a leader in LGBTI legislation, many people in different sectors of Canadian society still experience homophobia and transphobia. Equality in law does not mean equality in lived experiences. LGBTI discrimination in Canada exists despite progressive legislation. This has led to higher rates of suicide, addictions, and mental health issues in these communities. It has also led to higher rates of unemployment, hate crimes, and marginalization. LGBTI discrimination is often justified by religious belief by different faith traditions in communities. RFF is a unique Canadian organization because it recognizes that religious-based discrimination is a problem and is the most powerful and influential source of homophobia and transphobia in Canada. Even though conversion therapy is officially banned in Canada, other less “official” or institutionalized approaches to shame LGBTI people and demand they repress their sexual or gender identity will likely become a powerful mode of religious-based LGBTI discrimination that will directly harm Canadians, especially youth. Religious-based homophobia and transphobia must be confronted in order that all Canadians can feel that they belong. 

The Opportunity

Religious-based discrimination has a direct impact on the beliefs and social attitudes of Canadians, despite the progress in legal protections that we have here. RFF wants to ensure that all sectors of Canadian society are inclusive of LGBTI people, specifically for this project, that faith-based institutions and organizations (the faith sector) in Ontario are equipped to take action to confront and end religious-based discrimination. Canada is currently at an important juncture: now that conversion therapy has been banned, other, more insidious and invisible efforts could take their place in faith-based communities to force individuals to repress their sexual and gender identity. RFF will help faith-based institutions and organizations develop approaches to reduce and eliminate religious-based anti-LGBTI discrimination and/or harmful practices, and engage them with the resources to help them affirm LGBTI people and reduce social isolation. For this project, RFF aims to offer research, resources, and support to help drive community awareness and engagement to end religious-based LGBTI discrimination in the faith sector of Ontario.

The Project

RFF will work towards ending religious-based discrimination in the faith sector of Ontario through the following initiatives: Research, Community Consultation, and an Awareness Campaign. These initiatives will ensure that faith-based institutions and organizations in Ontario understand the issues and are equipped with the best practices to take action in addressing and ending religious-based discrimination against LGBTI people. This will be achieved by connecting them with research, resources, and support to help to affirm LGBTI people, reduce their social isolation, and ultimately drive community awareness and engagement to end religious-based LGBTI discrimination in the faith sector of Ontario. Funding from Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) will enable RFF to engage more fully with faith-based institutions and organizations across Ontario. Though RFF has a global mandate to end religious-based discrimination, this particular project is focused on Ontario, Canada and achieving inclusion and equality for LGBTI people in Ontario.

III.         Objectives and Deliverables

RFF’s project includes the following objectives:

·     Carry out research, in collaboration with LGBTI individuals and other members of affirming faith-based institutions and organizations across Ontario, to obtain hard evidence (both qualitative and quantitative) of the extent of religious-based homophobia and transphobia in faith communities in Ontario. 

·     Carry out research into the LGBTI human rights interventions currently being undertaken by faith-based institutions and communities to provide the groundwork for establishing best practices to confront and end religious-based discrimination. (Initial research completed).

·     The results of the research will be published on our website, in our newsletter and on social media, and shared with everyone who has participated. 

·     Support the awareness campaign that publishes the results of our research. The awareness materials will be distributed online, for faith-based institutions such as places of worship and community organizations across Ontario. 

Information Needs: 

• Collect stories of hurt, disenfranchisement, and loss from those who have been harmed by religious-based homophobia and transphobia from within places of worship.

• Collect data on how many LGBTI people have experienced harm from religious-based homophobia and transphobia in Ontario

• Collect data on how many places of worship currently are not inclusive nor affirming of LGBTQ people and their allies.

• Collect information on best practices of places of worship which are inclusive and affirming of LGBTQ people and their allies.

Deliverables:

• A final report (between 10 and 20) pages including an executive summary that will be shared with WAGE and the RFF Community.

• Educational materials that guide places of worship in their efforts to be inclusive and affirming of LGBTQ people and their allies.

• An archive of stories of hurt, disenfranchisement, and loss of those who have been harmed by religious-based homophobia and transphobia from within places of worship.

Budget: Maximum $20,000 inclusive of HST

Timeline of work: September 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023

Proposal requirements:

• Please describe how you would undertake the activities mentioned above and any additional activities within the required timeline and budget.

• Please describe previously completed contracts/experiences that have prepared you for this project.

• Please provide contact information of a previous client for whom you have undertaken similar work.

• Please keep your submission to under 3 pages (not including CV).

• Please submit to smcclark@rainbowfaithandfreedom.org by 5:00 PM Wednesday, August 3rd

Writing A New Chapter in 2SLGBTQ+ Activism

Here at Rainbow Faith and Freedom we are writing a new chapter in LGBTI human rights activism. Similar to how other social movements such as feminism has been divided into historical waves we are writing the newest chapter of LGBTI activsm: Confronting religious-based LGBTI discrimination. LGBTI rights have been (mostly) increasing across the globe, yet many activists/activist organizations have largely failed to address religious-based homophobia and transphobia. While many organizations have been proudly secular in their work, we feel coordinating with local and international places of worship is integral to the full realization of human rights for LGBTI people. We want to affirm those who are religious while helping religious discourse around homosexuality evolve to be affirming of all people. According to a 2020 ILGA report 69/193 countries around the world still criminalize same-sex sexual activity.

We are extremely grateful to those who have been working to achieve LGBTI rights in previous chapters of the movement.  We know that LGBTQI people only have the rights and freedoms we have today because of two trans women of colour, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. These women are generally cited as instigating the infamous 1969 Stonewall Inn riots by throwing the first bricks/bottles at cops. According to historian David Carter, it was also the homeless or "street" queer kids whose only safe space was the Stonewall Inn that led to the significant impact that the riots had on LGBTQ history. As we write this new chapter in LGBTI activism we will work to honor the contributions made by those most marginalized.

We know that religion is still the primary reason that homophobia and transphobia still exist. The interpretation of religious texts has varied over history – occasionally to suit the time, a moral or societal imperative, or a crisis of confidence by followers of the religious institution itself. This harms both LGBTI people of faith as well as those who consider themselves atheist or secular. At RFF we believe we will only achieve true equality for the LGBTI community by directly addressing and involving religious institutions that justify their discrimination with their faith. We believe that the central message of all religions is first and foremost to treat others as you would like to be treated. Decreasing and lessening the effects of religious-based LGBTI discrimination can, and will, make changing punitive laws easier and improve the lives of LBGTI people so they can be who they are, love who they want, and find safe and accepting places to practice their faith (worship).

One of our first projects in this new chapter is Worshiping with Love. Thanks to Canada’s Ministry of Women and Gender Equality we will be studying the best practices and barriers of a variety of Ontario-based places of worship in terms of being an affirmative institution for 2SLGBTQ+ folks. This research will be taking place over the next two years. Look out for more details on this project which will be coming soon!

In the meantime check out our resource portal. The resource portal features over 100 (and continuously growing!) resources including: books, articles, videos, films, children’s books, human rights organizations and much more. We encourage you to share these resources with your family, your community, and places of worship as a tool to become more affirming of the LGBTQI community.

You can help us write this new chapter by following us on our social networks (facebook, twitter, instagram), donating to RFF, signing up for our newsletter, or volunteering with us.

A New Canada Day

This Canada Day we at Rainbow Faith and Freedom propose a new way to celebrate our amazing country.

We would like to acknowledge the pain that has come from the colonization of Turtle Island into “Canada”. Many communities have been harmed by this colonization and we do not want to minimize the role religion has played in this. We at RFF believe we need to understand and acknowledge our history so that we can help those who have been harmed by it. For many Indigenous communities Canada Day is associated with children being ripped from their homes and cultures by religious institutions. In residential schools children were shamed for their heritage and abused in numerous ways. The Indigenous people have a long history of gender and sexual diversity which was violently suppressed by colonialism and residential schools. Children were forced to fit themselves into a colonial gender binary system which often included disparaging sacred Indigenous hair traditions. Alternative marriage and kinship forms went legally unrecognized and often resulted in the criminalization of Indigenous people. First wives were spared from attending residential schools resulting in Indigenous parents marrying off their young daughters to older men so as to protect them. This was then weaponized as barbaric propaganda by colonialists.  

  At RFF we are invested in undoing this harm to Indigenous communities so that they may once again express their sexuality and gender in ways that feel authentic to themselves and their culture. We are committed to learning the wisdom of the Two-Spirit people and other diverse forms of self-expression so that we may better honour these identities. The religious-based homophobia and transphobia that the Indigenous people were subject to is inexcusable and we are unwavering in our support to help them re-establish their ancestral traditions. The recent uncovering of mass graves serves as a reminder that this history is not in the past but still harms our Indigenous communities in the here and now. We envision Canada Day as a day of learning and reconciliation.

We envision a Canada Day where every Canadian takes the time to appreciate the diversity and culture we are lucky to be exposed to thanks to immigrants and refugees.

We envision a Canada Day where we thank our Indigenous population for taking care of the Earth and pledging to learn their practices so that we may peacefully nurse our planet back to health together. We envision Canada as a place where Indigenous people can thrive.

We envision a Canada Day where every place of worship opens its doors to all people, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, or their religious beliefs.

We imagine a Canada Day celebration that centres around reflecting on our past to create a better future where all people no matter where they come from, what they look like, or who they love are able to have their human rights met.

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We recommend the following resources if you are interested in learning more about reparations efforts or are interested in donating.

Government of Canada methods of reconciliation to renew the relationship with Indigenous peoples: https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1400782178444/1529183710887

Calls to Action Accountability: a 2021 Status Update on Reconciliation: https://yellowheadinstitute.org/trc/

Indspire is an Indigenous national charity that invests in the education of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people for the long-term benefit of these individuals, their families and communities, and Canada: https://indspire.ca/ways-to-give/donate/

We’re Coming Out with Faith for Pride 2022!

Here at Rainbow Faith and Freedom we are beyond excited to be participating in Pride Toronto for the first time. Pride is celebrated across our nation and around the world. It originally began in New York City after police raided a local gay bar leading to the infamous Stonewall Riots in 1969. Toronto Pride was officially founded in 1981 in response to “Operation Soap”, a brutal Toronto police raid of numerous bathhouses where hundreds of men were publicly humiliated. Today, Pride Toronto aims to support the 2SLGBTQ+ community by providing a space where those of all gender and sexual orientations can be seen, accepted, and embraced for the beauty they bring to our city. 

We are thrilled to join forces with Pride Toronto to help bring our message of reducing and eliminating religious-based homophobia and transphobia to a wider audience. We feel it is important for us to be an active and visible part of our community to effectively combat this homophobia and transphobia. Faith is an important part of many 2SLGBTQ+ people’s lives. We are working hard to help all 2SLGBTQ+ folks feel free to be who they are within their religious communities and openly love who they love. We believe that no matter what faith you subscribe to (even if that is no faith at all), you are deserving of a safer space in which to interact with your community and practice what you believe in. All people are equal under their Creator. 

If you are interested in helping us on our mission of reducing religious based homophobia and transphobia at Pride, we have lots of volunteer spaces open! Whether you’ve been involved with us before or are looking to try something new, you are always welcome at Rainbow Faith and Freedom. We would love to have you march with us at the Pride Parade on June 26th or help us at our Pride Festival booth. At our booth we will be informing people about RFF’s mission, recruiting volunteers and sign-ups for our email list, as well as accepting donations. Visit our volunteer page at https://rainbowfaithandfreedom.org/volunteer-1 to sign-up and learn more. 

If you would like to support our efforts at Pride monetarily you can find our fundraiser at https://rff.salsalabs.org/comingoutwithfaith/index.html. Your contribution will help us support both religious institutions who want to become more welcoming to the 2SLGBTQ+ community and to 2SLGBTQ+ individuals looking for religious belonging. Any donation over $20 is tax-deductible. 

After two years of virtual Pride events we hope to see you in-person at Pride Toronto this year. Whether it’s volunteering with us at our booth, marching alongside us in the parade or coming out to cheer in the crowds, thank you for continuously being a part of the RFF community.