TCDSB's Removal of LGBT YouthLine from Online Resources

Rainbow Faith and Freedoms Response: Toronto Catholic District School Board's Removal of LGBT YouthLine from Online Resources

Rainbow Faith and Freedom (RFF) has been monitoring the events surrounding the removal of LGBT YouthLine from the Toronto Catholic District School Board’s online resources.

LGBT YouthLine provides an important service to LGBTQ2S+ people under the age of 29 across Ontario. The need for this service has become even more imperative during the ongoing pandemic when in-person supports for our marginalized youth have become unavailable.

We are heartened to see the TCDSB, including staff and trustees, working diligently over the past two days to reinstate this valuable resource for their students.

RFF will continue to observe the progress of this work and we are ready, at any time, to collaborate with the TCDSB and YouthLine, should our advice and input be requested.

For more information:
Dave Fraser, Media Officer: Public Relations and Social Media Coordinator
dfraser@rainbowfaithandfreedom.org

Rainbow Faith And Freedom Is A Global Movement To Confront Religious-Based LGBTI discrimination and improve the human and equality rights of LGBTI people everywhere. 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.

Pope’s Announcement on Same-Sex Civil Unions

““Homosexual people have a right to be in a family. They are children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable over it.””

— Pope John Francis declares support for same-sex Civil Unions in new documentary film.

Today, Rainbow Faith and Freedom (RFF) welcomes the news that Pope Francis has stated that homosexuals have the right to have their relationships recognized in civil unions. In a new documentary titled “Francesco”, by director Evgeny Afineevsky, the Pope says, “What we have to create is a civil union law. That way [homosexuals] are legally covered. I stood up for that.” In addition to support for civil unions, in this documentary, Pope Francis also expresses his support for the inclusion of gays and lesbians in their communities and the Catholic Church. The Pope’s comments are his clearest and most direct statements that demonstrate the acceptance and inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in the Catholic Church. These comments follow earlier gestures of support, such as when the Pope responded with “Who am I to judge?” when asked about gays and lesbians leading Christian lives in 2013. His most recent comments align with the position he held when he advocated for same-sex civil unions as the Archbishop of Buenos Aires. Though he has not previously suggested he opposes civil unions, this is the first time the Pope has explicitly declared support for them.

RFF is pleased that the Pope, and consequently the Catholic Church, recognizes the inherent value of gays and lesbians to their communities in general, and the Catholic Church specifically. “Most LGBTQ+ activists around the world say that religious-based discrimination, i.e. religious-based homophobia and religious-based transphobia, are the main opposition to full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people. It is wonderful to hear that Pope Francis, a leader of a significant portion of the Christian religious community, is speaking out in favour of legal recognition of LGBTQ+ relationships. This is wonderful, good news from the Christian community,” explains Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes, Founder and Executive Director. The Pope’s comments are timely considering that the United States Senate is set to install a conservative minority on the Supreme Court with the appointment of Amy Coney Barrett, a devout Catholic, whose vote of the court puts the right to marriage for same-sex couples at risk in all fifty states.

The Pope’s recent comments are to be celebrated but are also an indication that many LGBTQ2S+ people across the world have not been treated equally by the state nor the law and continue to face discrimination and exclusion. “Today’s affirmation of my own dignity and my capacity to enter into a full and loving relationship as a gay man from Pope Francis has moved me deeply. He is building bridges and is a healer of many of the wounds that we carry as former Catholics,” says Joe Jamieson, RFF Board President. Though civil-unions do not always allow for equal treatment by the state nor by the law, RFF welcomes this news. RFF believes that this is an important step toward eliminating religious-based discrimination against LGBTQ2S+ people across the world.

Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes C.M
Founder and Executive Director
Rainbow Faith and Freedom

Phone: 647-573-3506
Email: ​bhawkes@rainbowfaithandfreedom.org
Rainbowfaithandfreedom.org

Reverend June Joplin fired from Lorne Park Baptist Church: A response from Rainbow Faith and Freedom

"God didn't create homophobia and transphobia, people did."

Toronto, Canada: July 23, 2020

Today, through various news outlets, Rainbow Faith and Freedom (RFF) has become aware that Reverend Junia ‘June’ Joplin, Pastor at Lorne Park Baptist Church in Mississauga, Ontario, has been fired from her position as pastor through a vote at the congregation following her coming out as a trans person.

We are deeply saddened. We are angered. We share the grief that June must be experiencing, and we are saddened by that.

We are saddened that once again, for those who are non-believers or those who hold religious doubt, that this is another moment to be dismayed and angry at the Christian church.

“We are saddened, as such events drive more and more people away from faith and faith communities. There is both personal and collective pain when such things as this happen”, explains Joe Jamieson, President of RFF.

Rainbow Faith and Freedom is a Canadian-based organization established to address religious-based homophobia and transphobia. Through changing hearts and minds, RFF hopes to improve the lives of LGBTQ2S people.

“What has happened to June is an example of the very religious-based homophobia and transphobia that have caused pain and vulnerability to the LGBTQ2S community”, notes Reverend Dr Brent Hawkes, Founder and Executive Director of RFF.  

This is not what the message of Christianity is about. The Christian message, like all major faith expressions, is about love, inclusion, and seeing the Divine in each and every person.

Our message is that we walk in solidarity with June, and we see God’s image reflected in her.

Psalm 139 (14) in scripture affirms that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made”. We remind her, and everyone reading these words, that you are “fearfully and wonderfully made”.

We stand in solidarity with you and we are saddened by religious-based transphobia showing up once again.

Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes C.M

Founder and Executive Director

Rainbow Faith and Freedom

Joe Jamieson

President of the Board

Rainbow Faith and Freedom

Rainbowfaithandfreedom.org

(Download a PDF of this press release.)

Celebrate Rev. Dr. Brent Hawke's 70th Birthday

Join us in Celebrating Reverend Doctor Brent Hawkes’ 70th Birthday

Our Founder, Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes, is celebrating his 70th birthday on June 2, 2020. We are grateful for all of Rev. Dr. Hawkes’ work in the field of human rights over so many years, so please join us in celebrating this auspicious occasion!

To mark this important milestone, Rev. Dr. Hawkes has asked us to consider donating or pledging to Rainbow Faith & Freedom in lieu of birthday presents or a party. (Though we might have an in-person party some time in the future when it’s appropriate to do so!)

Please enjoy this special video message from Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes, and the President of our Board of Directors, Joe Jamieson, as well as the letter from Rev. Dr. Hawkes below.

Thank you for celebrating with us!

---

Happy 70th birthday, Rev. Dr. Hawkes!

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I hope you’re keeping well. I know that this is a really difficult and stressful time for many of you. As the economy is beginning to reopen, Rainbow Faith and Freedom (RFF) has, as an organization, looked at ways to continue our work to fulfill our vision and mission.

To celebrate my 70th birthday on June 2nd and decades of human rights work, in lieu of birthday gifts, my birthday wish is to raise $70,000 for RFF. I have made a pledge to support the work of RFF, and would like to encourage you to do the same to help make our organization’s mission and vision a reality, internationally and in Canada.

Thank you to all of you who have supported RFF so far. You have helped to strengthen the organization and build our capacity. In the last year, I have been involved in some exciting work with RFF, including:

• My appointment by the Board as RFF’s Executive Director.

• Visits to Ottawa where I represented RFF at Dignity Network round table conferences, attended LGBTQI2S human rights events and had meetings where I made some crucial connections for RFF’s work with our Canadian and International pillars.

• Two trips to Geneva (sponsored by Global Affairs Canada), representing Canada on panels and profiling the work of RFF. I participated in side panels with the UN HRC and had a meeting and presentation with the Permanent Mission of Canada in Geneva. I also met with other groups while I was there e.g. Faith for Rights, UN Globe (an organization that fights for the equality and non-discrimination of LGBTQI staff in the UN system and its peacekeeping operations), Global Interfaith Network, and Human Rights Watch. 

• A trip to Washington, DC where I participated in the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom and attended the Human Rights Campaign Equality Forum co-hosted by Human Rights Watch and the Human Rights Campaign. 

• We hired a part time Administrative Coordinator this year.

• We attained Not-For-Profit status in 2019 and have applied for Charitable Status.

• Establishing partnerships with Egale Canada Human Rights Trust, Global Justice Institute, and Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto.

• We now have several teams in place: Board of Directors, Volunteer Team, Communications Team, Technology Team, Finance Team, Fundraising Team and Strategic Partnerships Team. 

• Our website was launched in 2019.

• We received government funding (through Egale) for 8 weeks to hire a summer youth person and extended her contract to the end of 2019.

It has been an exciting journey!

Our fundraising goal for 2020 is $250,000. To date, RFF has raised approximately 35% of our budget in confirmed donations. Based on current pledge projections, by year end we will raise 70% of our 2020 budget. The fulfillment of my wish to raise $70,000 for my 70th birthday on June 2nd will account for the additional 30%. 

So in honour of my birthday, we have the following suggested donation options: $7, $70, $700 or $7,000.  However, any amount you’re willing to donate is very much appreciated. While we are emphasizing recurring monthly pledges, please know that one-time donations are very much appreciated.

Please keep in mind that our global initiative to confront religious-based homophobia and improve the human and equality rights of LGBTI people everywhere is developing very quickly. Through our three pillars of activity – strategic nation-focused programming, faith-based resources, and domestic faith-based initiatives, we are working to inspire faith communities and families to be safe places for LGBTI people by changing the hearts and minds of individuals around the world. 

According to a recent national survey, the COVID-19 crisis has had a unique impact on Canada’s LGBTQI2S community (https://egale.ca/egale-in-action/covid19-impact-report/). A few highlights include:

• LGBTQI2S community reported greater current and expected impacts of COVID-19 on their physical and mental health, and overall quality of life.

• 42% of the LGBTQI2S community reported significant impacts on their mental health in the current situation compared to 30% of non-LGBTQI2S people. The expected significant impact on mental health in 2 months time rises to 58% for the LGBTQI2S community compared to 42% of non-LGBTQI2S people.

• LGBTQI2S respondents are about 10% more likely to report being in self isolation than non-LGBTQI2S people (58% vs. 49%)

By changing hearts and minds, RFF is helping to address the root causes of inequality to help some of the most vulnerable groups in Canada and around the world.

To pledge/donate online please see the “Make a Donation” section above. Charitable tax receipts for all donations of $20 or more per calendar year will be provided (in partnership with Egale).

Everyone who makes a monthly pledge that begins in 2020 will have the opportunity to be listed as part of our Founders Circle. Thank you for responding as generously as you can to support RFF today!

Please share this with your friends and contacts who may be interested. We look forward to coming together with the community when it is safe to do so.

Blessings,

Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes, C.M.

Founder & Executive Director, Rainbow Faith and Freedom

Christmas and Year-End Greetings from Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes

Dear friends,

The snow falls gently outside my window as I write. Winter came earlier than usual this year, and along with it, fond memories of my favourite time of year, the Christmas season.

As the Christmas season approaches, I look back on the year and reflect on all the blessings that John and I have received. We are so grateful for all the wonderful family, friends and colleagues in our lives. This year has been particularly filled with wonder and awe for us as we witnessed Rainbow Faith and Freedom establish firm foundations for a solid future of making lasting change. My vision of a world in which LGBTI+ people feel free, welcome and accepted in their families and congregations is beginning to take shape before our very eyes.

Late in 2018 I attended the Parliament of the World’s Religions, which came to my city, Toronto, Canada, for the first time. It was an amazing interfaith experience for everyone. We hosted seminars and workshops in the Parliament’s first-ever Rainbow Lounge. We shared the vision of Rainbow Faith and Freedom with clergy, leaders and congregants from many faiths. We heard from many people what their visions were for a world free of religious-based homophobia. It was gratifying to find that so many from across the entire faith spectrum resonated with the idea that it was time for religions to change the way they relate to LGBTI folks. That it was time for religions to become universally welcoming places for all, not just for some. We had a particularly merry Christmas last year, filled with the inspiration and hope of a new vision coming to the world.

Over the past year, we have seen folks of diverse talents join with Rainbow Faith and Freedom working to make this vision a reality. I have met with and spoken to governments, faith leaders and activists from around the world. I went to Ottawa, Washington, and even to the United Nations in Geneva to share our vision of how to make the world a better place. We have now put the necessary legal and administrative structures in place to manifest this vision into our reality. The momentum is building, and now, thanks to our partnership with Egale in Canada, we are able to collect donations to build and operate the programs that will spread our message and bring about real change. But that’s not all we did; click here to see the list of RFF’s achievements for 2019. 

2019 has been a wonderful year of great successes and the work everyone has done this past year lays the groundwork for expanding into future. My deepest, heartfelt thanks and gratitude to my Board of Directors, team leads, volunteers, partners and financial supporters for making all that we have achieved this year possible. 

Now, as Christmas approaches, I turn back to the meaning of Christmas. Christmas has many meanings for many people. I am reminded of one of my favourite poems: it’s “Amazing Peace - A Christmas Poem”, by Maya Angelou. It’s a beautiful, multi-faith poem calling out for peace on Earth. Here is my favourite passage:

We clap hands and welcome the Peace of Christmas.

We beckon this good season to wait a while with us.

We, Baptist and Buddhist, Methodist and Muslim, say come.

Peace.

Come and fill us and our world with your majesty.

We, the Jew and the Jainist, the Catholic and the Confucian,

Implore you, to stay a while with us.

So we may learn by your shimmering light

How to look beyond complexion and see community.

It is Christmas time, a halting of hate time.

On this platform of peace, we can create a language

To translate ourselves to ourselves and to each other.

Maya Angelou’s vision of Christmas as a time of coming together and looking past our differences, of halting hate and creating peace is a universal message for all humanity, regardless of what religion we might practice, or if one practises a religion at all. Although Christmas is regarded as a Christian religious event, it carries a universal message of love, compassion, accepting one another, giving and helping, all of which are universal attributes inherent in all people. 

So, this Christmas, I wish to thank all of you for your support, guidance and advice in 2019. Thank you for joining with us in all of the many ways you have helped us lay the foundation to make the Rainbow Faith and Freedom vision become a reality. John and I wish you all the joys of a world in which we look past our differences and come together as one across all of our many faiths to spread a message of love, compassion and acceptance to the entire world. We look forward to continuing to work together in 2020 and beyond. We wish those who celebrate it, and anyone who wishes to join in the celebration, a very Merry Christmas. We pray for health, happiness and prosperity for all of you and yours in the year to come.

Blessings,

Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes, C.M.
Founder & Executive Director, Rainbow Faith and Freedom

2019 Was a Phenomenal Year at RFF

Rainbow Faith and Freedom started in 2018, but it was in 2019 when the real work began. This past year our team has accomplished so much, and in so little time.

We built our leadership team and saw folks of diverse talents and backgrounds join with Rainbow Faith and Freedom working to make our vision a reality. I went to Ottawa, Washington, and even the United Nations in Geneva to share our vision of how to make the world a better place. The team has built the legal administrative structures that will enable us to grow and manifest our vision into reality.

A sturdy house is built on a sturdy foundation; 2019 was the year of laying the sturdy foundation on which all else will be built. It’s important to invest in this import stage of development and ensure that all the right structures, processes and practices are in place so that we can grow, scale and expand our vision into a self-sustaining organization that can serve as many people as possible.

Here is a list of all that we have accomplished this year:

• Attained Not-For-Profit status in June. We are currently working on getting Charitable Status.

• We have signed Memoranda of Understanding with Egale in Canada and the Global Justice Institute in the USA, and are working on one with Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto. 

• We now have several teams in place:

  • Board of Directors (which meets monthly)

  • Volunteer Team

  • Communications and Technology Team

  • Finance Team

  • Strategic Partnerships Team

  • We are recruiting for Fundraising and Research Teams

• We launched our website in late June: www.rainbowfaithandfreedom.org 

• We received government funding (through Egale) for eight weeks to hire a summer youth person and extended her contract until the end of 2019.

• Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes was appointed by the Board as the Executive Director.

• Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes made some international trips which went really well, including:

  • Participated in a panel discussion at the UNHRC, and attended meetings with the Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations, in Geneva, Switzerland

  • Attended the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom in Washington, DC

  • Attended the Human Rights Campaign Equality Forum “‘Religious Liberty’ or Discrimination? ‘Unalienable’ Rights and the Fragmentation of Human Rights”, co-hosted by Human Rights Watch and the Human Rights Campaign, in Washington, DC

• We applied for Charitable Status.

• We hosted a team appreciation event on September 12, 2019, and a Holiday Social for team members and donors on December 3, 2019.

I am so grateful for all of the love, support, help, hard work and donations that everyone has made to make this first year so successful. If 2019 was this amazing, I can only imagine how amazing 2020 will be!

Thanks to everyone who has helped move us closer to making the dream of a world in which LGBTI people can be welcomed as full participants in their faith communities and families a reality. We look forward to working with you in 2020 and beyond!

Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes, C.M.

Founder & Executive Director, Rainbow Faith and Freedom

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. 

Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes and Jennifer Lu

Meeting with Dignity Network Steering Committee

Dignity Network Steering Committee

Dignity Network (DN) is a network of 48 organizations across Canada that are involved in international LGBTI work. Doug Kerr is the Founder. Because of the work we'll be doing confronting religious based homophobia around the world, Rainbow Faith and Freedom (RFF) is involved with this organization.

DN has an annual round table meeting for member organizations each year and is governed by a Steering Committee which meets monthly. RFF is a member organization and Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes, Founder and Executive Director of RFF, serves on the Steering Committee. On November 6 & 7, 2019, the Steering Committee met in person for the first time (we usually have monthly meetings by phone or Zoom) to review our past work and plan for the year ahead, and in particular to further develop the structure of the organization. We met at Egale’s office - thanks to Egale for their hospitality and thanks to Doug for getting us to this stage. There’s also a smaller Executive committee that helps with the day-to-day operations.

DN has been crucial in helping RFF develop expertise, relationships and contacts for international work. As we raise funds, RFF needs to become a member with the Global Interfaith Network (GIN) and the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA), 2 organizations that will be crucial for our future work.

We’d love it if you would make a monthly pledge or you could sponsor RFF’s involvement in either DN, GIN or ILGA.

Click the ‘Donate’ button at the top of the page if you want to support the work of RFF: www.rainbowfaithandfreedom.org

RFF's First Team Appreciation Event

Rev Dr. Brent Hawkes (Founder/ed) and Zak Bailey (former president).

On Thursday, September 12th RFF hosted our first Team Appreciation Event. 

The event included speeches from Maria and Ron (Volunteer Team); Joe (President); Brent (Founder/ED); and Kevin Robertson (Special Guest). 

It was announced, with regret, that Zak Bailey resigned as President of the Board because of work commitments. The new Board includes Joe Jamieson (President), Amy Hanen (Vice-President), and Brian Brenie (Treasurer). 

Some of RFF’s accomplishments in the past year were noted, such as:

Amy Hanen (Vice-president) and Ron van Kempen (Volunteer team)

Bishop Kevin Robertson chats with guests

• Our partnership with Egale at a symposium last November on confronting and diminishing religious-based homophobia, and continued partnership with them as one of their programs. 

• Attained Not-For-Profit status in June. We are currently working on getting Charitable Status.

• We are working on MOUs with Egale and Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto. 

• We now have several teams in place: Board of Directors (which meets monthly), Volunteer Team, Communications and Technology Team, Finance Team and Strategic Partnerships Team. We are also recruiting for Fundraising and Research Teams. 

• Our website was launched in late June: www.rainbowfaithandfreedom.org 

• We received government funding (through Egale) for 8 weeks to hire a summer youth person, Lauren Morash, and her contract has been extended through RFF till the end of the year.

• Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes has been appointed by the Board as the Executive Director.

Indeed, we have done a lot in the past year, and we expect to do the same in the year to come. We are hoping to receive Charitable Status sometime in 2020, and have some new partnerships that we are excited to announce in the next few months. We will keep you updated as we go forward and you will be among the first to receive news of the next significant steps. 

As RFF is growing, we are also hoping to expand our volunteer base. In particular, we are looking for folks who have experience and interest in the following areas: accounting, fundraising, and research. If you are interested in volunteering with RFF, please reach out to Maria, our Volunteer Team Lead (mariagabriel@mail.com), or Lauren, our Administrative Coordinator (lmorash@egale.ca).

Thank you to everyone involved for their significant contributions to RFF. We hope to see you soon!

LGBTQ Government Funding Announcement

On behalf of the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister of International Development and Minister for Women and Gender Equality, Brent was invited to and attended an LGBTQ government funding announcement re event at the Daniels Spectrum Centre in Toronto.

The announcement included a panel discussion about how investing in LGBTQ2 organizations will help strengthen our communities and improve our ability to address ongoing barriers facing LGBTQ2 people across Canada. Highlights included:

$400,000 EGALE to set up a research hub to gather data on LGBTQ2 issues. 

$100,000 to enable a national gathering of Trans and non binary individuals to explore the provincial discrepancies and how a possible national trans organization might look like and sharing best practices from across Canada. 

Funding opportunities for RFF are being explored.

Left to Right - Rob Oliphant-Chrissy Taylor-Alicia Kazobinka-Helen Kennedy-Randy Boissonault-Brent Hawkes-Olena Semenova-Michelle Emson

Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes at the Ministerial on Religious Freedom in Washington, DC

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.