Launch Conference
Speeches
The Global Interfaith Commission on LGBT+ Lives was launched on December 16th 2020 in London. It was due to be held in the prestigious Locarno Suite in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, but was moved online due to the pandemic restrictions. The one day virtual conference, funded by the UK government’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, consisted of a full day of speeches by senior religious leaders and LGBT+ activists from around the world. Please click on their photo to watch their speech.
WELCOME MESSAGES
Dr Mary McAleese
President of Ireland (1997 - 2011)
Rt Revd Dame Sarah Mullally
Anglican Bishop of London
HE Roberto Manuel Carlés
Argentinian Ambassador to Italy
sESSION 1 - tHE COST OF DIFFERENCE
Revd Canon Mpho Tutu van Furth
Speaker, Author, Artist & Retreat Facilitator
Dr Ahmed El Hady
LGBT+ Egyptian Revolutionary Activist & Neuroscientist
Jayne Ozanne
Director, Global Interfaith Commission
on LGBT+ Lives
SESSION 2 - CULTURAL CHALLENGES
Revd Dr Derrick McQueen
Associate Director of CARRS
Colombia University
Revd H Paññāvamsa Thero
Abbot, Dhamma Centre UK & Ambassador of Mindfulness to Europe
Gurchaten Sandhu
President UN GLOBE
Rabbi Abby Stein
Speaker, Author of "Becoming Eve"
& Educator
SESSION 3 - CREATING CONSENSUS
Revd Asir Ebenezer
Secretary General
National Council of Churches, India
Toni Kruger-Ayebazibwe
Executive Director
Global Interfaith Network SSOGIE
Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner
Senior Rabbi, Reform Judaism (2012-20) & Co-Chair
Global Interfaith Commission on LGBT+ Lives
ENDORSEMENTS
James Duddridge MP
Minister for Africa, UK Foreign Office
Crispin Blunt MP
Chair, APPG on Global LGBT+ Rights
Victor Madrigal-Borloz
UN Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity
session 4 - tackling prejudice
Revd Brandan Robertson
Author, Activist & Theologian
Dilwar Hussain
Founder, New Horizons in British Islam
Revd Michaela Youngson
President of Methodist Conference (2018/19)
Ursula Halligan
Chair, "We Are Church" Ireland
Revd David Mayne
Moderator of Baptist Union Council
session 5 - the inclusion imperative
Rabbi David Rosen
Chief Rabbi of Ireland (1979-85)
Most Revd Mark Strange
Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church
Rt Revd Paul Bayes
Anglican Bishop of Liverpool & Co-Chair, Global Interfaith Commission on LGBT+ Lives
Pictures of the conference
