Organised Religion: The Biggest Global Threat to Human Rights

with special guest Peter Tatchell
Peter Tatchell 12th July 2014Saturday 12th July 2.00pm 
Moordown Community Centre, Coronation Avenue, Moordown Bournemouth BH9 1TW

Described as ‘a national hero’ by the Sunday Times, and ‘a modern-day prophet’ by former bishop Richard Holloway, Peter Tatchell has been campaigning for human rights, democracy, LGBT freedom and global justice for nearly half a century. He believes that ‘all human beings everywhere have human rights and that no political system or faith should be allowed to undermine them’.
Organised religion almost invariably promotes sexist and homophobic discrimination in law, and religious fundamentalism seeks to thwart equality and human rights around the world. Our own Anglican, Catholic and Muslim leaders tried to block same-sex marriage, and most faiths exclude women from senior leadership roles, with some also seeking to deny them contraception, abortion and fertility treatment. While acknowledging that some religious groups make positive contributions to social justice, Peter will be presenting the case that organised religion is currently ‘the greatest global threat to human rights; especially to the human rights of women and gay people’. He will also highlight the sectarian violence many religions have caused by provoking religious hatred and persecuting minority faiths, such as we have seen in the Central African Republic, Nigeria, Pakistan, Burma, Somalia, and for many years in Northern Ireland.
Join us for a thought-provoking examination of the religious threat to global human rights with respected veteran human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell.
Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!
Peter Tatchell green_shirtPeter Tatchell has campaigned for human rights, democracy, global justice, environmental protection and lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) freedom for 47 years. He pioneered ideas for uniform, comprehensive equality legislation from the late 1970s onwards, and spearheaded the campaign for civil marriage and civil partnership equality. He recently helped secure parliamentary amendments to remove two legislative threats to freedom of expression. His human rights activism resulted in him being badly beaten by President Mugabe's bodyguards in 1999 and by Russian neo-Nazis in 2007. As well as campaigning to complete the unfinished battle for LGBT equality and to defend human rights in Britain, Peter also works in solidarity with democracy and human rights activists in many countries, including Iran, Uganda, Somaliland, Iraq, Russia, Balaochistan / Pakistan, Bahrain, Zimbabwe, Palestine and West Papua. He is Director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation.
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Update: 12th December 2018 via Emma Olson: An LGBTQ+ online safety guide. Did you know that 73% of LGBTQ+  have been personally attacked or harassed online? The guide aims to empower them and give them the tools to protect themselves online. https://www.vpnmentor.com/blog/lgbtq-guide-online-safety/ 

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