With the support of Global Affairs Canada (GAC), Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes, C.M. has been invited to be a panelist in a ground-breaking event entitled “Religious communities affirming LGBTI people around the world” to be held at the United Nations in Geneva, on July 2, 2019.
Religious Communities Affirming LGBTI people around the world
41st Human Rights Council session, United Nations
“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 LGBTI people, and we claim the right to practice our faith in a way that affirms life, both for us and for others.”
Background Information
Human rights organizations, including LGBTI groups and faith-based actors, alongside State actors and UN representatives, have been working steadily for many years to promote inclusive faith-based messages. These efforts, by faith-based civil society actors notably, are extensively – if non exhaustively - detailed in the Arcus report on “Faith Efforts at the UN to Advance Human Rights Relating to Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity or Intersex Status” (2015). Despite these efforts, many states, CSOs and UN representatives appear to shy away from faith and religion.
This event seeks to amplify the efforts of people of faith and share the realities lived by individuals and communities from different contexts around the world, particularly from Key Affected Contexts, and most especially, inclusive religious experiences and interpretations. It is coordinated by GIN-SSOGIE, and co-organised by multiple faith-based and non-faith based organisations (see detailed list below).
The issues of faith and LGBTI rights have become highly politicized within the UN system over a number of years. Regressive faith-based messages have been increasingly utilized against the promotion of human rights for all individuals, including women and LGBTI individuals. This regressive, exclusionary rhetoric has been shared by both secular and religious actors including at the UN and the UN is increasingly being utilized as a platform for political and economic contestation, including by anti-rights religious groups. The reality of religious fundamentalisms and their uses can no longer be ignored. Such fights are undermining the UN system from within.
“Religious fundamentalisms are about the strategic use and misuse of religion by State and non-State actors to gain power and control. They are about the authoritarian manipulation of religion, as well as references to culture and tradition, rhetoric linked to sovereignty, and employment of patriarchal and absolutist interpretations of religion to achieve political, social and/or economic power. Across regions and religious contexts, fundamentalisms seek to employ references to religion, culture, and tradition to justify violence and discrimination”.
This has resulted in a cooptation of faith and religion by anti-rights groups, and as a result they are now widely seen as being opposed to human rights, most especially women’s and LGBTI rights. A review of anti-rights religious groups, their origin, discourse and strategies has been extensively reported in recent years including in the NORAD report “Lobbying for Faith and Family: A Study of Religious NGOs at the United Nations” (2013) and the Observatory on the Universality of Human Rights “Rights at Risk” (2017).
Why this side event?
This event aims to contribute to undermining this narrative which assumes an opposition between faith and religion and human rights, and to reduce the dominance of regressive, exclusionary narratives in the faith space at the UN. It will highlight how different religious institutions, from different traditions and contexts, have been including and affirming the rights of LGBTI people around the world. Until now, these stories have not been heard well enough, and we will seek to bring this message to a large audience comprised of State delegations, UN representatives, and CSO and faith leaders.This is particularly important now when the renewal of the mandate of the UN SOGI expert is up for review.
We aim to collaborate with multiple faith-based and human rights organizations and NGOs to organize a side event on religious communities and their fight for the dignity, respect and rights of all individuals including LGBTI people, during the Human Rights Council 41st session of June 2019, entitled “Religious Communities Affirming LGBTI people around the World”.
Objectives
To celebrate inclusive faith communities from around the world, especially from Key Affected Contexts,
To showcase and promote inclusive faith-based messages in support of human rights for all individuals;
To continue building alliances with CSOs and FBOs to develop faith-based messages in support of LGBTI rights as well as with Permanent Missions at the UN (from different parts of the globe).
Expected Outcomes
Increased visibility of inclusive faith traditions, with representation from different regional (especially Key Affected Contexts) contexts and faith traditions;
The coalition of CSOs and partners and their efforts to advocate for LGBTI rights are strengthened, including through developed partnerships across sectors, regions and faith traditions .
Constructive Dialogue between CSOs and PM’s
Government sponsors
Uruguay
Canada
Panelists
Father Thomas Ninan (India)
Ankit Gupta (India)
Yiulia Dwi Andriyanti (Indonesia)
Rev Nokuthula Dhladhla (South Africa)
Bochra bel haj hmida (Tunisia)
Rev. Dr Brent Hawkes (Canada)
Co-organizers
Article 19
Franciscans International
Coalition for Sexual and Bodily Rights in Muslims Societies (CSBR)
COC Nederlands
ILGA World
Muslims For Progressive Values
Act Alliance
Church of Sweden
ASEAN SOGIE Caucus
RFSL
RFSU - Sexual and Reproductive Rights for All
FRI
Audience
Representatives from Permanent Missions to the UN, UN agencies and civil society organizations.
The event will be live-streamed.
Date: Tuesday 2nd July 2019
Location: UN, Geneva, Switzerland.