Rev. Debra Haffner Records "It Gets Better" Video
Rev. Debra Haffner's "It Gets Better" Video
Religious Institute Issues National Call to Religious Leaders on Gay Youth Suicides
Rev. Debra Haffner wrote in the Washington Post this week, calling on Religious Leaders to address LGBT youth from their pulpits.
Click here to view the article.
RI Calls on Senate to Repeal DADT
Religious Leaders Call on Congress to End Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity As Senate Prepares to Vote on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
Contact:
Rev. Debra W. Haffner
(203) 222-0055
Haffner@religiousinstitute.org
Religious Leaders Call on Congress to End Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity As Senate Prepares to Vote on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
WESTPORT, CT, September 20, 2010 – The Religious Institute delivered letters to every member of Congress today asking them to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).
The Open Letter to Religious Leaders on Sexual and Gender Diversity has been endorsed by more than 500 ordained clergy from across the country. They believe “there can be no turning back from the goal of the full participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in our faith traditions and communities. We recognize that this work may challenge beliefs and unsettle relationships, but it goes to the heart of our mission as faith communities: to create the conditions so that each person can flourish.”
The letter and the endorsements were sent to remind members of the Congress that millions of people of faith support the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons in society, including the right to serve in the military, marriage equality and banning employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Presidents and deans of leading seminaries and key officials at national denominations are among the Open Letter’s endorsers.
“We ask the Senate to vote repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” this week, and pray that this Congress will repeal DOMA and pass ENDA before the end of the fall,” said Rev. Debra W. Haffner, the Executive Director of the Religious Institute. “As religious leaders, we believe we have an obligation to create a world that embraces the diversity and dignity of God’s creation. Members of Congress, can assure full inclusion.”
The full text of the Open Letter is available at the Religious Institute’s web site. Religious leaders are encouraged to endorse the statement.
The Religious Institute, based in Westport, CT, is a nonprofit, multifaith organization dedicated to advocating for sexual health, education and justice in faith communities and society. More than 5,100 clergy, seminary presidents and deans, religious scholars and other religious leaders representing more than 50 faith traditions are part of the Religious Institute’s national network.
The RI Calls on Religious Leaders to Speak Out About Maternal Mortality and Reproductive Justice
Contact:
Rev. Debra W. Haffner
(203) 222-0055
Haffner@religiousinstitute.org
OPEN LETTER CALLS ON RELIGIOUS LEADERS
TO ADDRESS CRISIS OF MATERNAL MORTALITY WORLDWIDE
WESTPORT, CT, September 15, 2010 – The Religious Institute today issued a call to the nation’s religious leaders to raise a prophetic voice about maternal mortality worldwide and promote universal access to reproductive health services.
The Open Letter to Religious Leaders on Maternal Mortality and Reproductive Justice, developed by a group of clergy, theologians and ethicists recognizes that “access to sexual and reproductive health services is a matter of life and death.” Every ninety seconds, somewhere in the world a woman dies from complications of pregnancy and childbirth. The Open Letter declares, “No woman should lose her life to create a new one.” All women and men must have access to a full range of reproductive health services, including contraception, prenatal care, and safe abortion and post-abortion care.
The Open Letter calls on religious leaders to:
- Educate themselves and their faith communities about the crisis of maternal mortality.
- Publicly advocate for increased support for maternal health and reproductive health services, domestically and globally.
- Work within their traditions to make the reduction of preventable maternal mortality a social justice issue.
“As the United Nations General Assembly gathers in New York on September 20-22nd to discuss the status of the Millennium Development Goals, it is essential to recognize that people of all faiths support that the sacredness of life is best upheld when women and men create life intentionally and women are able to have healthy pregnancies and childbirths,” said the Rev. Debra W. Haffner, Executive Director of the Religious Institute. “Surely it is common ground for people of faith to work to create a world where no woman will die giving birth to the next generation.”
The Open Letter to Religious Leaders on Maternal Mortality and Reproductive Justice was developed at a colloquium sponsored by the Religious Institute. Participants represented a
diverse range of religious perspectives, including Roman Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Protestant and Unitarian Universalist, from the United States, Latin America, and Africa. The full text of the Open Letter is available on the Religious Institute website. The Religious Institute today launched a campaign to have religious leaders endorse the new Open Letter.
The Religious Institute, based in Westport, CT, is a nonprofit, multifaith organization dedicated to advocating for sexual health, education and justice in faith communities and society. More than 5,100 clergy, seminary presidents and deans, religious scholars and other religious leaders representing more than 50 faith traditions are part of the Religious Institute’s national network.
Links:
The Open Letter Full Text
http://www.religiousinstitute.org/sites/default/files/open_letters/openl...
Endorse the new Open Letter
http://www.religiousinstitute.org/endorse
Religious Institute celebrates overturning of Prop 8!
On August 4, 2010, Judge Vaughn Walker, chief judge of the U.S.District Court of the Northern District of California, found Proposition 8 unconstitutional. The decision in part read, "Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis for singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage letter" More than 2,200 religious leaders have endorsed the "Open Letter to Religious Leaders on Marriage Equality", providing the religious foundations for securing the freedom to marry for same-sex couples. For more details about the court decision, visit our colleagues at www.freedomtomarry.org.
Laws Affecting Reproductive Health and Rights: State Trends at Midyear, 2010
The Guttmacher Institute has released its midyear analysis of reproductive health and rights legislation in America. At midyear, a total of 49 measures on reproductive health-related issues had been enacted in 20 states; 34 of these were related to abortion. Guttmacher Institute’s State Center allows individuals to track policy by state and is updated monthly.
Help pass ENDA
Visit United ENDA's website to find the latest information on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), as well as how to take action to help it get passed. They provide advocacy toolkits as well as compile the stories of individuals to advocate on behalf of the larger population.
"United ENDA is a coalition of state, local and national LGBT organizations and allies committed to the passage of comprehensive federal legislation that protects individuals from employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
United ENDA is a coalition effort of nearly 400 organizations, where the power of the coalition comes from all of the work done by all of the organizations in the coalition."
Urge the ratification of CEDAW today -- advocate for women and girls
Jamie Kossen, Director of Public Policy for Advocates for Youth, writes:
"The State Department has promised time and again that the Obama administration is "committed" to U.S. ratification of the CEDAW Treaty (the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women).
It is time, finally, for President Obama to turn these words into action. It is shameful that the United States continues to be one of only seven countries in the world that has not ratified this treaty. President Obama must begin to forcefully and publicly urge the Senate to ratify CEDAW immediately.
Take Action: Tell President Obama you want the U.S. to ratify CEDAW now!
CEDAW is a landmark international agreement that affirms fundamental human rights and equality for women and girls. It was the first international agreement to address these rights comprehensively — politically, culturally, economically, socially and within the family. Around the world, CEDAW can be used to ensure primary education for girls; improve reproductive, maternal, and child health; pass laws against domestic violence and discrimination; promote the participation of women in the political system; and allow women to own and inherit property.
We are within striking distance of CEDAW ratification, but the window of opportunity is closing, and fast!
We know that CEDAW works: Australia, Brazil, Morocco, South Africa, Uganda, and others have incorporated provisions of CEDAW into their constitutions and domestic legal codes. And Egypt, Jordan, Nicaragua, and Pakistan have all seen significant increases in literacy rates after improving access to education for girls and women.
Since youth comprise nearly half of the world's population, protecting and promoting the fundamental human rights of young people will affect the health, well being, and stability of this planet for generations to come.
Thank you for your support!"
UN releases practical toolkit on how to deter sexual violence in war
"From peacekeepers in Darfur escorting women and girls to prevent “firewood rapes” to blue helmets in Kosovo setting up an emergency hotline for at-risk communities and lone women, the United Nations launched today its first compilation of the best practices of its staff to prevent, deter and respond to the use of rape as a war tactic.
'This is practical information to move from words to deeds,' the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Margot Wallström, told the UN News Centre on the sidelines of the launch of the booklet, Addressing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence-An Analytical Inventory of Peacekeeping Practice."
Read the press release here.
Read and download the full report here.
Study reveals majority support for LGBT equality among diverse people of faith
A new study from Third Way and Public Religion Research reports that strong majorities of four major religious groups in the U.S. -- African American Protestants, Roman Catholics, white evangelicals and white mainline Protestants -- favor laws protecting lesbians and gay men from job discrimination, and favor allowing lesbians and gay men to serve openly in the military. Majorities of mainline Protestants and Catholics also support some form of legal relationship recognition (either same-sex marriage or civil unions), as do white evangelicals under the age of 35.
The study -- Beyond the God Gap: A New Roadmap for Reaching Religious Americans on Public Policy Issues -- analyzes the beliefs and values underlying the attitudes of people of faith toward a range of cultural issues and domestic policy concerns, including abortion, immigration and LGBT civil rights. The four religious groups addressed account for approximately three-quarters of the U.S. population.
Read the press release here.
Read and download the full report here.
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