Panel: Dreaming the (Im)possible: Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage in Taiwan
Brent attended a panel discussion at the 519 “Dreaming the (Im)possible: Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage in Taiwan”. Jennifer Lu, one of the leaders of successful campaign for marriage equality in Taiwan was present (Taiwan became the first Asian country to recognize same sex weddings). The panel provided great perspective on the LGBTI situation in Asian countries. That evening, Brent joined City Councillor Kristyn Wong Tam , MPP Jill Andrews, and other members of the Dignity Network at a dinner honoring Jennifer. Jennifer was very interested in what RFF is doing.
Brent attended a panel discussion at the 519 “Dreaming the (Im)possible: Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage in Taiwan”. Jennifer Lu, one of the leaders of successful campaign for marriage equality in Taiwan was present (Taiwan became the first Asian country to recognize same sex weddings). The panel provided great perspective on the LGBTI situation in Asian countries. That evening, Brent joined City Councillor Kristyn Wong Tam , MPP Jill Andrews, and other members of the Dignity Network at a dinner honoring Jennifer. Jennifer was very interested in what RFF is doing.
Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes and Jennifer Lu
Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes at the Ministerial on Religious Freedom in Washington, DC
Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes attended the Ministerial on Religious Freedom and other related side events in Washington, DC from July 15-19, 2019.
Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes at the Ministerial on Religious Freedoms in Washington, DC.
The 2019 Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom will build on the themes of the Potomac Declaration and Plan of Action released last year. The 2019 Ministerial had a robust agenda with more topical breakout sessions, to encourage greater interaction among the increased number of attendees and panelists.
LGBT folks who attended the Ministerial were pleasantly surprised about the more supportive atmosphere here compared to last year. The panelist from Norway mentioned LGBT rights in her address which didn’t happen last year. There was also a much larger group of open LGBT folks, about 20 compared to 3 last year. The representative from Outright handed out rainbow lanyards so we were very visible.
On Day One (July 16), there were several main sessions to discuss: Building Blocks for Advancing Religious Freedom, Emerging Trends in Religious Freedom and Religious Freedom in Development and Humanitarian Assistance.
On Day Two (July 17), each of these three topics had its own separate track at the Ministerial.
The three tracks were as follows (Brent attended Track 3)
Three clergy from Metropolitan Community Churches at the Ministerial on Religious Freedom Conference. Rev Jim Merritt Rev Pat Bumgardner & Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes.
1. Building Blocks for Advancing Religious Freedom: Track 1 explored the foundation elements that ensure Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). Breakout session topics included subjects such as challenges facing religious minorities, best practices in religious freedom advocacy, governments’ role in advancing FoRB, and combatting anti-Semitism.
Brent with Maria Sjödin from Outright
2. Emerging Trends in Religious Freedom: Track 2 explored emerging trends that help foster the growth of FoRB. Breakout session topics included subjects such as atrocity prevention, interfaith tolerance education to combat extremism, religious freedom and national security, religious freedom and economic prosperity, religious freedom and technology, media/reporting on religious freedom issues, and women’s rights and FoRB.
3. Religious Freedom in Development and Humanitarian Assistance. Track 3 was led by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Breakout topics explored the intersection of religious communities, faith leaders, and faith based organizations and the development community.
Human Rights Campaign Equality Forum July 17, 2019 -
“Religious Liberty” or Discrimination?
“Unalienable” Rights and the Fragmentation of Human Rights
co-hosted by Human Rights Watch and the Human Rights Campaign
Panelists:
· Amanda Klasing from Human Rights Watch
· Robin Maril from the Human Rights Campaign
· Preston Mitchum from Advocates for Youth and
· Philippe Nassif from Amnesty International.
· Ryan Thoreson from Human Rights Watch will moderate.
The freedom of religion and belief is a core human right. But it is increasingly being misused to restrict or deny human rights to vulnerable groups. The passage of draconian religious laws, the use of religion to restrict sexual and reproductive rights, and efforts to distinguish some rights as uniquely “unalienable” threaten to fragment a human rights framework that protects and promotes the rights of all. In this panel, human rights experts examined various areas in different regions of the world where the freedom of religion and belief has been used in a rights-restrictive way – particularly for women, LGBT people, and religious minorities – and discussed how the freedom of religion can and should be harmonized with other rights to which people are entitled.
Closing Ceremony July 18, 2019
Brent and a supportive attendee at the Washington DC conference.
Location: National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), co-hosted by the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and the NMAAHC.
Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes Speaks at Panel at the United Nations in Geneva - Watch the Video!
Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes appeared as a panelist in an event that was part of the 41st Human Rights Council session at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland on July 2, 2019.
Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes appeared as a panelist in the “Religious Communities Affirming LGBTIQ People Around the World” event on July 2, 2019 at the 41st Human Rights Council session at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, with the support of Global Affairs Canada.
The Human Rights Council describes the event as “Re-affirming the universality and indivisibility of Human Rights, as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) (…) (we believe) that religious freedom/freedom of consciousness is a fundamental human right that applies to all people, including LGBTIQ people, and we claim the right to practice our faith in a way that affirms life, both for us and for others.“
Read more about the event on our Events page.
The panel went extremely well and was live-streamed on the Global Interfaith Network Facebook page. You can view the entire session in this video from the Global Interfaith Network:
https://www.facebook.com/globalinterfaithnetwork/videos/614526619032854/
L to R: Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes of Canada, Rev. Nokuthula Dhladhla of South Africa, and Victor Madrigal-Borloz, Special UN Rapporteur on LGBTI Issues
In addition to our very own Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes, panelists also included (in alphabetical order by family name):
Yiulia Dwi Andriyanti (Indonesia)
Rev. Nokuthula Dhladhla (South Africa)
Ankit Gupta (India)
Bochra Bel Haj Hmida (Tunisia)
Father Thomas Ninan (India)
Father Thomas Ninan of India (left), and Victor Madrigal-Borloz, Special UN Rapporteur on LGBTI Issues
Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes also presented to staff at the Permanent Mission of Canada in Geneva on the work being done with RFF. The meeting and presentation were very well received. Some described the experience as “moving”, and “uplifting”.
Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes met with the following people and shared his journey and the work of RFF with them:
Ambassador Stephen de Boer, Chef de Mission and Canada’s Ambassador to the World Trade Organization
Ambassador Rosemary McCarney, Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations
Cyndy Nelson, Human Rights Team
Front L to R: Cyndy Nelson, Human Rights Team, Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes.
Back L to R: Ambassador Stephen de Boer, Chef de Mission and Canada’s Ambassador to the World Trade Organization, and Ambassador Rosemary McCarney, Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations
“It was so inspiring to be around such wonderful people doing such amazing work in their parts of the world,” said Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes. “They are working for change, dialogue, connection; all the same things we are at RFF. We really found common ground to discuss the issues together, and to share strategies on how we can work together to make things better for people who have been marginalized by religions because of who they are.”
Equitas Human Rights Annual Cocktail & Conversation
The Equitas Human Rights Annual Cocktail & Conversation featured Rita Izsák-Ndiaye, former UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues.
On March 6, 2019 I attended the Equitas Human Rights Annual Cocktail & Conversation at the TD Centre in Toronto. There was a conversation with Rita Izsák-Ndiaye regarding human rights education in Canada and around the world for International Women’s Day. Rita is a former UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues who inspired us with stories of her exceptional work in human rights education. Long-time journalist Lloyd Robertson of CTV (a Canadian television network) moderated the event.
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
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.”