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.”
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.