Rainbow Faith and Freedom calls on Canadians to help Combat Homophobia with new crowdfunding campaign

June 14, 2021
For Immediate Release
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On June 9 an innocent man was beaten nearly to death in a homophobic hate crime. Today, Rainbow Faith and Freedom (RFF) is calling on all Canadians to help combat homophobic discrimination through a new campaign focused on protecting and supporting the LGBTQ2S+ community.

The organization is raising money through a crowdfunding campaign to contribute to its global movement to end religious-based LGBTQ2S+ discrimination, homophobia and transphobia and improve the human and equality rights of LGBTQ2S+ people everywhere. RFF focuses on the moments at which religious-based discrimination and homophobic discrimination intersect and have established a Canadian program devoted to addressing this intersection.

“I am sickened by the blatant homophobic event that transpired earlier this month in Toronto,” said Rev. Brent Hawkes, “as Canadians, we must stand up against these disgusting acts of homophobia that are fundamentally against our values.” 

With June marking Pride Month around the world, RFF is calling on Canadians to support the organization’s crowd funding campaign, either through a financial contribution or by sharing the link on social media. 

The End Religious-Based LGBTQ2S+ Hate crowdfunding campaign is seeking to raise $40,000 that will be used to confront the most vocal and influential source of discrimination against LGBTQ2S+ people – religious leaders and communities who weaponize their beliefs to justify exclusion. The campaign can be accessed at https://www.gofundme.com/f/end-religiousbased-lgbtq2s-hate

About Rainbow Faith and Freedom

Rainbow Faith and Freedom is a not-for-profit organization providing social programming focused on education Canadian institutions including schools, workplaces and community association to be more inclusive and affirming of LGBTQ2S+ people of faith will have a direct benefit for all vulnerable populations. 

Interview/Quote Availability: 

Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes, Founder, RFF  
Sonja Moroz, Fundraising Coordinator, RFF-smoroz@rainbowfaithandfreedom.org

For RFF information:

Dave Fraser, Communications Team Lead, RFF- dfraser@rainbowfaithandfreedom.org  

2SLGBTQ+ Group Boycotts Library

A Public Library in Halifax has made homophobic statements upon the backlash from the LGBTQ2S+ community in Halifax. The book “Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing our Daughters” displays transphobic thoughts with outdated and inaccurate medical data on transgenders.It also claims that trans identities are a choice and carries hate speech.The library has further upon stated that it is a democratic of citizens to access any book but fails to address the psychologically damaging views that can impact the youth reading it.Rainbow Faith and Freedom concurs with the Halifax Pride in ending transphic assertion.

Amongst the many joining the Halifax Pride, Caramel Farahbakhsh in the article states “I do not want to tell the person who wrote this book that they cannot publish. But I do want to have a community-centered space, taking a stance to protect marginalized voices and say that they’re not going to carry it.” Considering it is a public library and government owned it needs to value the thoughts of the community and create more inclusivity for LGBTQ2S+ community. It is important to carefully consider which books should be kept because while silence on this matter is deemed “freedom for people to write what they want” it empowers a dangerous message and emboldens people with transphobic thoughts to continue suppressing those in marginalized communities.

Psychologically speaking, this book highlights transgendered health issues as mental and behavioural disorders, an incredibly traumatic history of the LGBTQ2S+ community. This is a safety issue for tran and non gender conforming youth as it highlights discrimination at a grassroot level between social services and the medical system. Farahbakhsh states in the article “Something that is incredibly sad for me is that I know a lot of our youth really love the library. It is the space that folks can access for free, there are comfy chairs where you feel like you can be yourself.”Many of such books found in public libraries are not just discouraging for the LGBTQ2S+ youth but any person visiting can be influenced by the weakly researched scripts and embibe inaccurate information.

Evaluation, policy change and reviews need to be made by the Halifax Library, honoring and listening to the pulse of LGBTQ voices. Furthermore a nationwide review of collections in any public libraries should be made annually to make sure to provide inclusivity to all.

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Citation:
Hakim, Aya-al.  “LGBTQ2 Group Calls Book Transphobic,Boycotts Halifax Public Library for Not Removing It.” Globalnews.ca,2, July,2021, globalnews.ca/news/7905129/halifax-public-library-transphobic-book

RFF Impact Report 2021

Rainbow Faith and Freedom, though young, is already making a difference in the lives of people coping with religious-based discrimination.

Thanks to the help of our supporters, staff and volunteers, we’ve already been able to achieve so much.

Read all about it in our Impact Report. Download it here, and please share it with your family, friends and colleagues.

Mapping the Landscape of Faith-Based Heterosexism and Transphobia in Canada

Religion continues to be one of the strongest determinants of a person’s view of homosexuality. While a largely secular society, Canada’s institutions are built on a foundation of Christianized norms of heteronormativity and transphobia.

In this landmark 39-page report, RFF introduces the wide landscape of faith-based 2SLGBTQ+ discrimination. This report addresses the most critical areas of where faith-based discrimination operates, surveying research from the last fifteen years, and documents the long-lasting impacts of this exclusion.

Download the report at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-rvNDfYEPqPU4XDrJ4SlJ49VSQpsK85g/view?usp=sharing, and please share it with your friends, family and colleagues.

Subsequent Consultations Symposium

The fifth instalment in a year-long series of posts by RFF Founder & Executive Director, Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes, on the origins, mandate and work of the organization.

Following the Parliament of the World’s Religions in November, 2018 RFF hosted a one-day symposium to hear from activists around the world regarding the impact of religious-based discrimination against the LGBTI community, and what’s working and not working to counteract that impact. A presentation was made outlining the Vision and strategies of RFF and significant time was devoted to hearing from the 25 attendees what they liked about the vision and strategies and what changes they thought would make it better. This was extremely helpful input and we left with many suggestions for improving how we would go about fulfilling our Vision and strategies. The feedback was compiled and presented to the Steering Committee of RFF for discussion and many of the recommendations were affirmed and included in our future planning.

The symposium far exceeded what we had hoped for. Attendees came from Canada, United States, Jamaica, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Eastern Europe, India, South Africa, Nigeria, Columbia and the Philippines. Among the group were the first openly gay Imam in North America, the first openly gay Orthodox Rabbi, representatives from the United Church of Canada and Metropolitan Community Churches, Theology Professors, activists and more. Leading up to the Parliament and the symposium, RFF raised $20,000 to cover the cost of the symposium and in particular, to sponsor five of the attendees, ensuring more diversity and international input. We are grateful to our sponsors, the United Church of Canada, Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto, and various individual donors. A huge part of the success of the Symposium was due to our Partnership with Egale Canada. Egale and their staff, led by Executive Director Helen Kennedy, were all amazing. Egale also led a separate track at the symposium for educators across Ontario on Religion and LGBTI. 

Additional consultation meetings were held in 2019, focusing on two areas. The first was on what would be the Values that would guide the work and culture of RFF, both locally and internationally. This was an exciting process which led to Values which were unanimously embraced throughout the organization. Our next blog article will cover these values in detail. 

The second focus of the consultations was on how we would do our work both nationally and internationally in appropriate and effective ways. We brought together a dozen people who had experience in international work. Too often, people in North America have good intentions but get involved in international work in ways that are counterproductive, and sometimes viewed as being imperialistic and supporting a colonial mentality. We wanted to take time before we launched any programs to really learn from those who are doing this international work in ways that we wanted to emulate. Once again, this consultation proved extremely valuable. Having clarified our Vision at the original symposium, and now learning how to do our work appropriately, RFF is positioning itself to make a valuable and effective contribution to LGBTI safety and inclusion worldwide.

Kamloops Residential School

Rainbow Faith and Freedom shares in the grief, shock and anger of all Canadians following the recent discovery by the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation of the remains of 215 Indigenous children on the grounds of a former residential school.

This unthinkable loss is a stark reminder of a dark and shameful period in Canada’s not-so-distant history. In the name of religion and education, innocent children by the thousands were removed from their homes, families and cultures to endure pain, torture and, tragically, death. 

We stand with our First Nations friends, partners, supporters and allies during this difficult time. We believe firmly that they must be allowed and encouraged to share their stories, their personal, cultural and family histories and, most importantly, their vision for how to move forward in reconciliation. 

We must commit to learning from the cruelties of the past, particularly those fueled by colonialism and racism, to ensure that our future will not see such atrocities ignored or repeated.

Resisting The Script With The Queer Evangelist Cheri DiNovo

Today’s guest, Rev. Dr. Cheri DiNovo, gives new meaning to the word icon. With the Order of Canada, a seat in Ontario parliament for twelve years, and as the only woman to sign Canada's first gay liberation manifesto "We Demand" in 1971, Cheri has done it all.

This April, Cheri released a new book called, "The Queer Evangelist," a memoir which looks back at her 50+ years of activism. In this conversation as part of the Resisting the Script special series, host Brigitte and Cheri discuss radicalism versus reform and what resistance means today.

RFF is also excited to announce that Cheri will be joining us for a book talk on June 17th at 8:00 pm. Watch for registration information coming soon!

You can listen to the full episode HERE and don't forget to subscribe to Queer Devotions on Apple, Spotify or wherever you vet your podcasts to make sure you never miss an episode.

Resisting The Script with Cait Glasson

Cait Glasson is singular - a polyglot, linguist and translator - who in 1994 also formed a core part of a key battle for queer rights in Ontario, pushing then Premier Bob Rae and his party to include same-sex equality rights in the omnibus bill. It ultimately failed - by nine votes - and showed the continued power of religious conservatives to influence politicians' stances on queer rights, particularly in the Kitchener-Waterloo region.

In this interview, Cait describes her team's incredibly grassroots approach.

Listen to the full episode in the Resisting the Script series here: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/queer-devotions/id1539414887#episodeGuid=Buzzsprout-8580251.

Cait is generous with her stories and speaks vulnerably about the toll the pandemic has taken on her, calling for greater radicalism in old age. We thank Cait deeply! 

You can also follow Cait on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FullmtalFemnist

Stay tuned for more podcasts as we ramp up for Pride month and announce a live event with our featured guests - and be sure to subscribe to Queer Devotions on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode!

International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia

Today we recognize the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia. While the rights of LGBTQ2S+ people in many parts of the world have been significantly advanced in recent decades, there is still much progress to be made.

We call on governments and institutions of faith, both at home and abroad, to reaffirm the fundamental right of all LGBTQ2S+ people to be treated with equality, equity, respect and dignity. 

There can be no true equality until everyone is free from discrimination, persecution and stigma. 

Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission Report

Seniors across Ontario and members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community have been disproportionately affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as evidenced by the dire situation that unfolded in Long-Term Care facilities across the province in 2020.

Rainbow Faith and Freedom recently participated in the consultation and development of Ontario Senior Pride’s submission to the Long-Term Care (LTC) COVID-19 Commission to ensure the voices of LGBTQ2S+ seniors were included in the Commission’s report and recommendations.

RFF participated in the consultation and development process to ensure the inclusion of the intersectionality of LGBTQ2S+ seniors and fulsome, multi-faith-based considerations

Two recommendations made by Ontario Senior Pride in submissions to the Commission were adopted by the Commission as their recommendations 37 and 38a, in the Diversity and Inclusion section of the report (page 234):

“Long-term care home residents reflect the diversity of Ontario's population. The Ministry of Long-Term Care, long-term care home licensees, management and staff must respect and support this diversity in the care and services provided to long-term care residents. 

37.  The Residents' Bill of Rights should be amended to align more closely with the prohibited grounds of discrimination in the Ontario Human Rights Code.” 

Currently, the Residents' Bill of Rights does not include sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression as prohibited grounds of discrimination.

Recommendation 38a states that LTC home licensees should be required to, “Recognize and respect 2S-LGBTQ+ spousal relationships and chosen/non-biological family relationships generally and in any rules or policies regarding visitation and the provision of essential care to 2S-LGBTQ+ residents.”

Unfortunately, other recommendations made by Ontario Senior Pride have not been explicitly included or accepted in the Commission’s report. Those recommendations were directed to the Ministry of Long-Term Care and LTC homes to adopt requirements, policies and practices to ensure the LTC homes are positive, welcoming, safe and inclusive environments for LGBTQ2S+ residents, their families and caregivers and for LGBTQ2S+ staff. For example, Ontario Senior Pride recommended that the Ministry of Long-Term Care require LTC homes to provide compulsory LGBTQ2S+ seniors sensitivity, inclusion and cultural competency training for all staff, family council members and volunteers.

Although the Commission’s report does not include all of the recommendations put forward by Ontario Senior Pride, the report and recommendations are a breakthrough for the recognition of, respect for, and equitable inclusion of LGBTQ2S+ elders and seniors in the LTC system. RFF joins Ontario Senior Pride in calling upon the Ontario Government to accept the recommendations and to implement them without delay.  

For more information on Ontario Senior Pride’s submission to the Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission, please contact Tom Warner – warnertom10@gmail.com


Ontario’s Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission Final Report April 30, 2021
 http://ltccommission-commissionsld.ca/report/pdf/Ontarios_Long-Term_Care_COVID-19_Commission_Final_Report.pdf

Ontario Senior Pride’s submission to the Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission, October 2020
http://cloud2.snappages.com/dc2e80b91489071f85f20ad99eab8984caed145e/LTC%20COVID-19%20Commission%20Submission.pdf

Parliament of the World’s Religions

Rainbow Faith and Freedom (RFF) had an important presence at the Parliament of the World’s Religions (PWR) Conference in Toronto in November, 2018.  This was followed immediately by a symposium (organized in conjunction with EGALE) on November 8, 2018, where 25 invited guests from around the world provided feedback and guidance on the vision and direction of RFF. I’ll share more details with you about the symposium in the next blog article.

At the PWR, which meets every three years, 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 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 PWR. We had 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 had 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 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 LGBTI organizations and, as a result, the PWR accepted 19 workshops with LGBTI-supportive content to be included in the official program. They also contacted us to offer a free hospitality space for the whole conference. It became the Rainbow Lounge! It 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 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 LGBTI workshops and panels were held in the Lounge. There was a constant flow of conference delegates dropping into the Lounge to talk about coming out, raising LGBTI children, how to influence their faiths to be more LGBTI-positive, etc. Rev Pat Bumgardner from MCC New York and Rev Jim Merritt from MCC in Florida spent the 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 LGBTI People - from Muslim and Christian Perspectives”, “Sacred Knowledge: Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity in Sacred Texts and Other Teachings”. In “The Global Inter-Faith Movement for Human Rights of LGBTI People”, I handed out brochures describing my international human rights initiative, RFF, and collected 70 names and emails from people across the globe interested in learning more about RFF. 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, and would that be ok? We responded that we’d certainly 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.

We closed our Lounge on the final evening of the PWR and the room was packed. 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 LGBT content for the next one. I can’t state 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 Religions of the World. At the official closing ceremony of the Parliament, the chair of the Board of Trustees of the Parliament put on the screen for all 7500 delegates to see 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. 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 RFF, 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.

This was the first time that RFF had been a visible presence at a major international event. Our impact was a significant breakthrough and laid the groundwork for RFF to improve the lives of LGBTI people around the world by ensuring that religious-based discrimination against the LGBTI community is addressed and diminished.