New Canada $1 Coin Commemorates 1969 Legalization of Homosexuality
The Royal Canadian Mint releases a coin celebrating decriminalization of homosexuality in 1969 and celebration of LGBTQ2S rights.
The Royal Canadian Mint released a new coin that features an LGBTI theme to commemorate the legalization of homosexuality by then-Minister of Justice, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, father of current Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau.
Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes was the Master of Ceremonies. “I’m thrilled and honoured to be part of this. Back in 1969, nobody would ever have imagined that we would be here where we are now, releasing a widely used coin that celebrates LGBTI rights,” said Hawkes.
The new LGBTQ2S commemorative $1 coin, designed by Vancouver artist Joe Average. Photo: Royal Canadian Mint
“When you have laws hanging over your head that say when you love someone very, very much and you practise consensual sex with that other adult person you could be thrown in jail, that is significant. In 1969, the government passed a law to end that piece of the terror. And while it’s not perfect, we should not diminish the significance of that moment,” said Hawkes.
Read more at https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/loonie-lgbtq-1.5107077
Panel: Can sexual orientation and religious beliefs be reconciled?
Religions can often be interpreted in many ways, and none is a monolith. Many religious people have found interpretations that are inclusive of sexual minorities. But the battle between inclusive and exclusive continues in what is now the final frontier in gay rights.
Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes participated in a panel on reconciling sexual orientation and religious beliefs.
In Ontario, Canada, a new curriculum for sexual and health education was released a few years ago. This curriculum had not been updated in nearly 20 years and was overdue for an overhaul. The new curriculum addressed such issues as healthy bodies, dating, sexting, cyberbullying and other things that young people today need to be aware of to stay safe. The curriculum also finally addressed what many know to be reality: that there are gay, lesbian, trans and other identities and ways of being in the world, and they belong, too.
Different religious groups have responded in diverse ways, from urging parents to take their kids out of schools until the new curriculum is repealed, to an open, outright welcome and endorsement of the curriculum.
Here’s the description of the panel:
“If you're struggling to embrace your lesbian colleague's sexual orientation for religious reasons. Or, your son comes to you and says he wants to marry a man -- and you think ‘blasphemy!’ Or, you are an LGBT person of faith but struggling, thinking your religion will not accept you. Or you're someone who believes being gay is a sin, but you do not want to discriminate.
This panel is for you! Come to dialogue, gain insight and develop understanding.
LGBT rights in Canada have come a long way since the police bathhouse raids of 1981 in Toronto. Today, gay couples can get married and have children. Their rights are enshrined in legislation and human rights codes. Toronto’s annual Pride Month attracts hundreds of thousands to the city to celebrate, show pride and stand in solidarity.
One hurdle, a large one, remains in the path to full equal rights: religious belief. To many, their culture’s interpretation of religion defines being gay as a sin. The large controversy over an updated sex-ed curriculum in Ontario in 2015 (that specifically recognized gender fluidity) demonstrated how a number of religious groups continue to be conflicted about the subject. And LGBT individuals who are religious have often suffered in attempting to reconcile these two sides of their identity.
But religions can often be interpreted in many ways, and none is a monolith. Many religious people have found interpretations that are inclusive of sexual minorities. But the battle between inclusive and exclusive continues in what is now the final frontier in gay rights.“
“I think it’s wonderful that we’re having these discussions,” said Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes. “It’s time to help prepare young people to understand that there are many ways of being, and not just one, and that if you’re not being like that one way, then you’re fine just the way you are, exactly as God created you.”
Parliament of the World's Religions Comes to Toronto; First LGBTI Room Opened
Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes discusses the Parliament of World’s Religions meeting in Toronto in November, 2018 and including LGBTI programming for the first time. A Rainbow Lounge was opened, and there was even a same-sex, interfaith engagement ceremony!
The Parliament of the World’s Religions meets every three years and this year, they met in Toronto from Nov 1-8th. There were 7500 delegates in attendance from 120 of the world’s religions.
When we heard that it was coming to Toronto, Doug Kerr and I [Rev Dr Brent Hawkes] thought this would be the perfect time for us to gather folks from around the world to look at the issue of religious-based homophobia and also to have an impact on the Parliament (PWR). We’ve been trying for the last few years to organize a conference on religious-based homophobia and this seemed to be the perfect time. Never in the past has the Parliament had any LGBTI content in their official program so we approached the Parliament’s head office in Chicago and expressed that it was time to include some LGBTI content since their theme for this Parliament was Love and Inclusion.
We received an enthusiastic response! They asked us to submit names for speakers and suggestions for workshops and panels. We got the word out to other LGBT organizations and, as a result, the PWR accepted 19 workshops with LGBTI-supportive content to be included in the official program.
PWR also contacted us to offer a free hospitality space for the duration of the conference! It became the Rainbow Lounge and was decorated with large panels depicting LGBTI couples and some photos of members of the local LGBTI Mosque. We opened the Lounge with a special reception on Nov 1st to a full room. It was an electric atmosphere as we made history with the first ever PWR LGBTI event!
As the week progressed, many of the LGBT workshops/panels were held in the Lounge. There was a constant flow of conference delegates dropping in to talk about coming out, having LGBTI children, how to influence their faiths to be more LGBTI-positive, etc etc.
Rev Pat Bumgardner from MCC New York and Rev Jim Merritt from MCC in Florida spent their whole conference in the lounge with me greeting the people who dropped by. My husband John made 300 rainbow ribbons for people to wear and they were all taken and worn.
The panels we organized included:
“Creating a Different Future:Building Faith Communities Inclusive of LGBTIQ2 People- from Muslim and Christian Perspectives”
“Sacred Knowledge: Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity in Sacred Texts and Other Teachings”
“The Global Inter-Faith Movement for Human Rights of LGBTI People”
I handed out brochures describing my international human rights initiative “the Rainbow Faith and Freedom Movement” (RFFM) and collected 70 names and emails from people across the globe interested in learning more about RFFM.
On the Sunday of the Parliament a minister from the Unity Movement came to me and said that a young couple wanted to use the Rainbow Lounge to celebrate an Engagement Ceremony. Would that be ok? We responded that certainly we’d be honoured to have it in the Lounge! On Monday the ceremony occurred and it was very moving. For the rest of the Parliament this young gay couple walked around the conference site proudly holding hands! They made conference history that day for sure!
At the end of a busy week we recognized and celebrated the great beginning that this PWR represented and we pledged to build on this foundation for an even better PWR in three years time. Many folks signed up to help plan the LGBTI content for the next one.
I can’t express enough how exciting it was to be part of this historic event! To meet spiritual activists from all over the world from many different faiths, and to see this potentially transformational entry into the Parliament was truly amazing.
At the official closing of the Parliament, the chair of the Board of Trustees of the Parliament displayed the pictures of the Engagement Ceremony and said that this was an example of the success of the Parliament, and indicated his support for LGBTI inclusion in front of 7500 delegates. For many in the room, this was a clear signal that the time had come to seriously look at being more inclusive of LGBTI people.
As a side event I hosted a dinner for 10 people from RFFM, the Global Justice Institute and the Global Interfaith Network out of South Africa so that our three organizations could talk about what makes each of the organizations unique and how we might work together. It was a great start for an exciting cooperative relationship.
Blessings,
Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes
#parliamentofworldreligions2018
The Changing Face of Christianity: Global Affairs Canada, Office of Inclusion and Religious Freedom
Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes speaks at a panel about the changing face of Christianity around the world, held at the Office of Inclusion and Religious Freedom at Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa.
Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes participated in a panel for the Office of Inclusion and Religious Freedom at Global Affairs Canada (GAC), equivalent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in other countries. The panel was called “The Changing Face of Christianity,” was moderated by Director-General Shelley Whiting, and had four speakers:
Dr. Brian Butcher (Assistant Professor, Faculty of Theology, Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies, University of Toronto Scholar of Theology, Eastern Christian Studies, and Middle East Studies). He gave an overview of what’s going on in Canada and around the world regarding Christianity.
Ms. Marie-Claude Lalonde (National Director, Aid to the Church in Need - International Pastoral Aid Organization of the Catholic Church, offering financial support to more than 5,000 projects worldwide annually. Publishes a yearly report on the Freedom of Religion in the world.) She spoke about the Roman Catholic initiatives around the world for helping people in need and the church where persecuted.
Rev. Dr. Hawkes was the third speaker and spoke about:
The increasing inclusion of the LGBTI community in the Christian church in parts of the world;
The ongoing marginalization, discrimination and even persecution of the LGBTI community by the Christian church in other parts of the world;
The future role for LGBTI Christians in their Church communities.
The Reverend Cannon Laurette Glasgow (Anglican Church of Canada’s Special Advisor for Government Relations Former Canadian ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg, former Consul General in Monaco). She spoke about Christianity and the lack of inclusion around women.
“It was a great opportunity to talk to people at Global Affairs Canada about the role of religion, both positive and negative, in the experience of LGBTI people in particular, and how it shapes the societies we all live in,” said Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes. “They [GAC] are doing a series for the GAC staff in Ottawa which was also broadcast more widely to GAC staff around the world. This was a religious literacy series helping their staff to know more about what’s going on in Canada and around the world regarding various religions. They have already had panels on Islam, Aboriginal Spirituality and no faith background.”
“I think it’s a wonderful initiative that will yield good results for everyone that GAC works with,” said Hawkes.
Government of Canada Issues Formal Apology for Treatment of LGBTQ2 Canadians
Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes attends historic apology ceremony in Ottawa as Govt of Canada apologizes for past treatment of LGBTQ2 people.
Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes attends historic apology ceremony in Ottawa as Govt of Canada apologizes for past treatment of LGBTQ2 people.
“It’s a wonderful day for the LGBTQ2 people of Canada, their friends, families and allies,” said Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes. “Finally, the wrongs of the past can be corrected, and we can begin to work on building a better chapter in our history.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivered a speech in the House of Commons as some in attendance wept with joy. “It is with shame and sorrow and deep regret for the things we have done that I stand here today and say we were wrong, we apologize, I am sorry, we are sorry,” said the Prime Minister.
Reaction from other House leaders was positive.
Andrew Scheer, Leader of the Official Opposition, said “How you treat your fellow Canadians, how you work every single day to make this country stronger, how you give of yourself to your families, your communities, and your loved ones—those are the true measures of one's love for Canada."
From the New Democratic Party, Guy Caron said "this apology should be the springboard for action... It is our hope, Mr. Speaker, that all Canadians take today as an opportunity to move forward & continue to build the inclusive, accepting country that we all know we can be."
“The government is not only apologizing today, but has also committed to expunging the records of past convictions under anti-LGBTQ2 laws,” said Hawkes. “These laws did a lot of damage to a lot of people and I’m proud that at last, these people can have their names and their dignity restored.”