RFF Core Values

About Rev. Dr. Brent Learning: We are a learning organization made up of a community committed to expanding our Hawkes, C.M. own hearts and minds and expanding learning through listening and engaging with others.

Respect: We will embody respect for all people, cultures, and those of all faiths, no faith and beliefs respecting diverse experiences and perspectives. We will create safe spaces for people and organizations that we work with.

Compassion: We will be a community grounded in humility, acceptance and our deep connection to create empathy. We will create a culture of joy, loving-kindness, and belonging.

Teamwork: We are a faith-based, human-centred Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes, C.M., is community, which collaborates creating the founder and Executive partnership, friendship & deep relationships. We Director of Rainbow Faith and will support each other, respect dissenting views Freedom, and Senior Pastor and work together to build community.

Emeritus of Metropolitan Results: We will be results-oriented, effective and Community Church of Toronto, impact the world to achieve our vision. We will where he was at the forefront of have an impact on communities while building ministry to the LGBTI loving-kindness with others. community for over 40 years. On January 14th, 2001, he officiated How can you help? at the first legal same sex One of the ways you can help is by making a pledge or marriages in the world. He one-time donation. Donate online at: received the , the www.rainbowfaithandfreedom.org Order of New Brunswick and Cheque donations can be made out to: three honorary degrees for his Human Rights Trust and mailed to: Rainbow Faith and stand on social justice and human Freedom, #327 - 473 Church St., Toronto, ON M4Y 2C5 rights within the LGBTI Donations of $20 or communities. more per year will be issued a tax receipt.

[email protected] www.rainbowfaithandfreedom.org

RFF History RFF Vision & Mission The Three Pillars of RFF

During his 40 years as the Senior Pastor of Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto, Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes was Vision involved in not only building a faith community but also in Rainbow Faith & Freedom will Strategic Nation-Focused numerous LGBTI human rights causes. He decided to retire improve the lives of LGBTI people Programming so he could devote more time to this passion for LGBTIQ2 globally by confronting and human rights. decreasing religious-based LGBTI Pillar 1 of Rainbow Faith & Freedom In 2015, Brent took a three-month sabbatical, during which discrimination. shall be a 20-year strategic plan for time he focused on global LGBTI human rights. He visited programming for selected nations to over 10 LGBTI international organizations, allied Mission achieve Rainbow Faith & Freedom’s organizations and numerous individual activists in New Working to inspire faith communities York, Washington and Geneva, including the International and families to be safe places for vision. This will result in a measurable Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) World, Human Rights decline in rates of religious-based Watch, ARC International, the World Council of Churches, LGBTI people by changing the hearts the Global Justice Institute, the International Gay and and minds of individuals around homophobia. Lesbian Human Rights Commission (ILGHRC), the Council the world. for Global Equality, Soulforce, Center for Social and

Information Initiatives Action, European Forum of LGBT Faith-Based Resources Christian Groups, and Franciscans International. We know that… Pillar 2 of Rainbow Faith & Freedom Brent looked at the shape of LGBTI rights internationally, especially related to religious-based LGBTI discrimination. • In eight countries, people can be shall be the creation and use of faith- He discovered that most international LGBTIQ2 groups are executed for being gay or lesbian. based educational and other resources. secular and not addressing religious-based discrimination. • In 45 countries, women can be sent to These resources will help Rainbow He constantly asked if these organizations were proudly prison for being lesbian. secular and the response was always yes. He followed up Faith & Freedom spread the message of with a question about whether they were involved with • In 72 countries, men can be sent to acceptance and inclusiveness. LGBTI Christians, Muslims or Jews in the struggle for prison for being gay. human rights. The answer was usually no they were not. He • In 25 countries, LGBTI organizations Domestic Faith-Based Initiatives then outlined his plan to start an international organization to are illegal. combat religious-based LGBTI discrimination, changing hearts and minds. He asked if they would work with him and • LGBTI youth from non-accepting this new organization and he received overwhelming families are more than eight times Pillar 3 of Rainbow Faith & Freedom support. more likely to attempt suicide than shall deal with the existence of those from accepting families. religious-based LGBTIQ2S In 2018 he formed and led a steering committee that has • LGBTI youth are four times more drafted the Vision, Mission, 3 key Pillars and Manifesto for discrimination. This will be the organization called Rainbow Faith and Freedom (RFF). likely to attempt suicide than accomplished by developing and RFF is a registered non-profit and has engaged a legal firm heterosexual youth. publishing a rating system for to obtain charitable status. The committee has worked on the • Religious-based homophobia is a measuring inclusion and welcome of description for 5 teams (Communications and Technology, major cause of these outcomes. Strategic Partnerships, Volunteer, Research and Fundraising LGBTIQ2S people in local faith and Finance). RFF is also working on a funding model and • Many LGBTI people experience structure of the organization with an anticipated launch date trauma and marginalization because communities. Resources will be in 2020. RFF is in the process of developing a list of of religious-based homophobia. provided to help faith communities potential partnership organizations and will rely heavily on achieve this goal. developing partnership agreements with these organizations.