Is Homocolonialism a Sound Argument to Advance Human Rights for LGBTQ+ People?

Dmytro Vovk is a visiting professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.

The concept of “traditional values” is often used to justify limiting women’s and LGBTQ+ rights around the globe. Supporters of traditional values argue that certain types of marriage, family, and sexual intimacy are not acceptable because they violate the dominant values, moral foundations, and patterns of behavior that have been entrenched in their societies for many years or even centuries. Therefore, they argue, the state should ban or restrict these “other” relations as harmful and should support traditional sexual and family relations as desirable and important for social well-being. People engaging in sexual and family practices that deviate from these norms are often labeled as marginals, perverts, or even aliens of the society and the state.

(more…)

Continue Reading Is Homocolonialism a Sound Argument to Advance Human Rights for LGBTQ+ People?

A Promise of Human Freedom: Synergies Between the Right to Freedom of Religion or Belief and LGBTQI+ Rights

Marie Juul Petersen is a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for Human Rights.

Dmytro Vovk is a visiting professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.

A version of this blog post appeared previously on Open Global Rights.

In June 2023, the UN Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) presented his report on SOGI-related violence and discrimination and the right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB).

The report is much needed, as the relationship between FoRB and rights related to sexual orientation and gender identity is widely seen as one of antagonism and controversy by both FoRB actors and the LGBTQI+ community. At the same time, both rights are crucial for ensuring individuals’ freedom to live their own lives in the manner they choose. This has been emphasised by the UN Special Rapporteur on FoRB, together with other UN Special Rapporteurs, in a 2021 joint statement asserting that “the right to freedom of religion or belief and the right to live free from violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity are both built on a promise of human freedom.”

(more…)

Continue Reading A Promise of Human Freedom: Synergies Between the Right to Freedom of Religion or Belief and LGBTQI+ Rights

The Role of Religious Freedom Rights in Building a Free, Just, and Mutually Supportive Society

W. Cole Durham, Jr., is founding director of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies (ICLRS) and president of the G20 Interfaith Forum. He presented the following remarks[1] at the Second Brazilian Symposium on Religious Freedom in Brasília, Brazil, 8–10 August 2023. The Symposium was organized by both the ICLRS and the Brazilian Center for Law and Religion Studies (Centro Brasileiro de Estudos em Direito e Religião, CEDIRE), Faculty of Law, Federal University of Uberlândia. This essay first appeared on the G20 Interfaith Blog.

Introduction

It is a particular honor for me to launch our discussions at this Second Brazilian Symposium on Religious Freedom. I have had several opportunities over the past two decades to visit Brazil, and I have consistently been impressed with the strong commitment of Brazil’s people and its government to the highest standards of freedom of religion or belief. Article 5, clause VI, of the Brazilian Constitution provides that “freedom of conscience and belief is inviolable, assuring free exercise of religious beliefs and guaranteeing, as set forth in law, protection of places of worship and their rites.”[2] This clause provides broad protection for religious freedom, which is generally respected by both the government and the populace. As in all societies, there are recurring problems and imperfections in enforcement, but in general, it is fair to say that Brazil is a country with a particularly strong record when it comes to religious freedom.

(more…)

Continue Reading The Role of Religious Freedom Rights in Building a Free, Just, and Mutually Supportive Society