When Ducks Leave the Pond Podcast

When Ducks Leave the Pond Podcast

In Episode 8, host Carolle de Ste-Croix ('90) is joined by Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes ('72) to talk about his emotion-filled experience of growth, community-building, and self-discovery while he was at Mount Allison.

On January 14, 2001, Rev. Dr. Hawkes officiated at the first legal same sex marriage in the world. Since, he has received the Order of Canada, the Order of New Brunswick and three honorary degrees. In 2019, he was appointed to the Board of Regents of Mount Allison University. He currently works as founder of Rainbow Faith and Freedom, a non-profit working to confront and decrease religious-based LGBTI discrimination around the world.

“I arrived at MtA in 1968, from small town NB and I left MtA in 1973 having been President of the SAC, manager of the football team, and ready to take on the world. So, you can see that the “MtA Experience” changed me dramatically.”

Content Warnings (CW)
This episode contains mentions of the following:
Death Threats
Police Brutality
Hate Crimes
Violence
Suicide

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Brené Brown | Daring Classrooms

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We need to understand how scarcity affects the way we lead and teach, we have to engage with vulnerability and we need to learn how to recognize and combat shame. What would it mean for our schools and classrooms if we showed up for tough, honest conversations about what it takes to bring our best, most authentic selves to work? These conversations may sound risky and vulnerable, but risk and vulnerability are essential to courageous schools. A daring classroom is a place where both teachers and students commit to choosing courage over comfort, choosing what is right over what is fun, fast or easy and practicing values rather than professing them.

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Spirituality and sexuality. You can have both

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As the Pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto, Rev. Hawkes has been at the forefront of ministry to the Gay & Lesbian Community in Toronto. He serves as spiritual leader to a faith community of more than 600 congregants at regular Sunday worship. As well, he has served the community at large with distinction, championing several Human Rights initiatives, especially benefiting the Gay & Lesbian Community.

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Intersecting identities and space making

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On being black, Muslim, and queer in America and navigating intersecting identities. Kaamila Mohamed is an artist, educator, and advocate. As a theater practitioner and performance poet, Kaamila believes that art can transform individuals and communities. She founded and directed BlackOUT Boston, an ensemble of young, queer Black artists who created original performance pieces in order to challenge antiblackness, homophobia, and transphobia. In 2012, Kaamila co-founded the organization Queer Muslims of Boston (QMOB) which she co-led through Spring 2016. QMOB provides a space for LGBTQ Muslims to connect and build community. She served several years on the planning committee of the annual retreat for LGBTQ Muslims

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Brown, trans, queer, Muslim, and proud

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In this moving and powerful talk, Sabah talks about his life as a transgender Muslim and how his different identities collide. Sabah is a UK-based Pakistani trans activist with a passion for his communities. He co-founded Trans Pride Brighton in 2012: the first trans march and celebration in the UK, and started online social and support spaces for queer, trans, and intersex people of colour in Brighton (QTIPOC Brighton), and for LGBT and queer desi people in London and the South East (desiQ).

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We resist: a queer Muslim perspective.

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El-Farouk Khaki is a human rights and social justice advocate, and refugee lawyer. He is founder of Salaam: Queer Muslim Community (1991); and co-founder & imam of el-Tawhid Juma Circle (2009). El-Farouk spearheaded the presentation SOGIEG (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity/Expression & Gender) and HIV status based refugee claims. A public and media speaker on issues including Islam, LGBTIQ and human rights, refugees, race, politics and HIV, he has served in diverse capacities in groups and boards including Africans in Partnership against AIDS, The 519, & the Canadian Ethnocultural Council. El-Farouk is co-owner of the Glad Day Bookshop, and recipient of numerous Awards including: 2006 "Excellence in Spirituality" Award - Pride Toronto; 2007 Hero Award, Canadian Bar Association; 2007 Steinert & Ferreiro Award - Community One Foundation; 2014 AIR Award for Community Building; 2016 Seneca Award - Responding to Refugee crisis; 2016 CCVT Trevor Batram Award. He is currently working on his first book exploring issues of sexuality, social justice and spirituality.

Link to Video

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Two Spirits, One Voice

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Two Spirits, One Voice is a community-based initiative that seeks to bolster supports for persons that identify both as LGBTQ and Indigenous –Two Spirit people. Funded through the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services, this programs with works with educators, healthcare workers, law enforcement and other community service providers to ensure that all services within a community are equipped to provide inclusive and cultural aware services with regards to gender and sexuality.

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Religious LGBT inclusion and equality

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The number of religious communities that openly welcome and support LGBT congregants is growing, but news of this is not reaching outside of their own circles. The Breakthrough2Love campaign is trying to change that. The campaign was born out of the Breakthrough Conversations Movement, which suggests that real and lasting change happens when people of faith have open and honest conversations about LGBT inclusion and equality with their friends and family.