Interfaith Statement Supporting Trans, Intersex and Nonbinary People
On the International Transgender Day of Remembrance, the International Association for Religious Freedom welcomes the statement on the rights of Trans, Intersex and Nonbinary People issued by the Unitarian Universalist Association, our member group, in coalition with several faith groups, including the United Church of Christ, the Episcopal Church and other Christian denominations, Union for Reform Judaism and other Jewish organisations, and others.
As an organisation uniting free and liberal religious communities and individuals, we advocate religious freedom as first and foremost freedom within religion, a freedom to live one’s life creatively and without coercion in a shared experience of the divine and a shared pursuit of justice. We acknowledge the value of the prophetic voice of progressive religion and humanistic philosophy as many still suffer discrimination, alienation, vilification and ridicule, and, in many parts of the world, may lose their freedom or even their lives for failing to conform to social norms, even though they inflict no harm on others.
Regrettably, religion often plays a role in providing justification for condemning and persecuting them, and inflicts great spiritual suffering by proclaiming their identity, their experience and expression of humanity as sinful and abominable in the eyes of the divine. This makes voices like these, where people of faith come together to speak both to society at large and to those often excluded by religion, not mere statements, but acts that have the power to change lives. By offering a different perspective and testifying to the healing, transformative power of faith, we can make a difference, just as we strive to do so in the daily lives of our communities.
Stand in Solidarity for Rights of Aboriginals and Torrest Strait Islanders to Demonstrate and Worship
As reported by media like The Guardian, on August 31 a group of neo-Nazis and others stormed Camp Sovereignty, a First Nations protest site and historic Aboriginal burial ground in central Melbourne. Attackers reportedly desecrated an ancestral fire, tore down flags and physically assaulted women attending a peaceful ceremony.
The site stands as a symbol of the ongoing Indigenous resistance in Australia and the fight for recognition of Sovereignty and land rights.
The neo-Nazi attack on the sacred site can be considered a clear act of racism and a denial of freedom of religion. We encourage our members and others to support the call from Indigenous leaders for this to be investigated as a hate crime and to demand justice and protection for sacred sites.
You can do so by signing the petition from the global advocacy organization Avaaz to the Commissioner of Australia’s Federal Police and others: