russia

'Exporting Garbage to the Nations': Conservative Christian Rifts Spreading Like Cracked Glass

Frederick Clarkson, André Gagné — Fri, 13 Jan 2023 02:32:26 EST

The conservative Christian base of the Republican Party has never been as monolithic as it sometimes seems. This has recently been on vivid display in Pennsylvania, where rifts among conservative evangelical Christians are spreading like cracked glass. New cracks appeared…

Putin's Violent Holy War Rhetoric Made it to the Christian Right Fringe — And There's Reason to Believe it'll Go Mainstream

Thomas Lecaque — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 05:30:57 EDT

It starts with a tweet: https://twitter.com/realRickWiles/status/1585375961033605120?s=20&t=DZQ… And it is, of course, not simply that. Shortly before, in support of Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin appointing a “chief exorcist” against Satanism, he said : “Can you think of anybody, in the…

A Church (Further) Divided: Putin's Patriarch Now Faces a Rebellion From Within the Russian Orthodox Church

Katherine Kelaidis — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 04:34:37 EST

While the world waits for Russian oligarchs to tire of their yachts being seized and for them to turn against Vladimir Putin, it appears that Putin’s counterpart and accomplice in the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All…

Could Patriarch Kirill's 'Evil Forces' Against Russia and the Russian Church Refer to Jews?

Katherine Kelaidis — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 02:14:39 EST

If it wasn’t already blatantly apparent that Patriarch Kirill of Moscow is not “calling for peace,” he’s now described Russia’s opponents — in its unprovoked, illegal invasion of the Ukraine — as “evil forces,” telling the faithful : “God forbid…

Make no Mistake, if There's a War Between Russia and Ukraine, it Will be a Religious War

Katherine Kelaidis — Mon, 21 Feb 2022 05:16:09 EST

Putin has now ordered Russian troops into Donetsk and Luhansk. The first major conflict between two Orthodox Christian nations since the War of the Stray Dogs in 1925 has likely just begun. That conflict (the resolution of which was incidentally…

After Orthodox Priest Suspended for 'Stop the Steal' Activity, a Renewed Spotlight on the Orthodox Far-Right

Sarah Riccardi-Swartz — Tue, 26 Jan 2021 02:16:58 EST

When insurrectionists stormed the Capitol building on January 6, 2021, most news reports focused on those who were Pro-Trump evangelicals and their ties to white Christian nationalism . Yet, as the events of the day continue to be interrogated by…

2017 Around the World: Progress and Persecution For LGBT People

Peter Montgomery — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 12:38:20 EST

Journalist Masha Gessen dubbed 2017 “the year Russian LGBT persecution defied belief.” Pink News called 2017 “ the year of the homophobic purge” featuring “brutal crackdowns across the world.” The Daily Xtra’s year-end recap focused more on the good news…

Marriage Debate in Australia Shifts To Push For Religious Exemptions; and More in Global LGBT Recap

Peter Montgomery — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 02:02:08 EST

Queer Asia has issued a call for submissions for the Queer Asia Film Festival and Queer Asia Conference, which are tentatively scheduled for June 29 and 30, 2018. Deadline for submission of abstracts for the conference is December 30, 2017…

Australians Vote Overwhelmingly For Marriage Equality; and More in Global LGBT Recap

Peter Montgomery — Tue, 21 Nov 2017 03:37:54 EST

Australia: Voters overwhelmingly support marriage equality; opponents seek religious exemptions Australian voters overwhelmingly expressed support for marriage equality in a non-binding mail referendum whose results were released on November 15. The win came in spite of a “well-organized religious campaign”…

Will International Criminal Court Bring Charges Against ISIS For Gender-Based Persecution?; And More in Global LGBT Recap

Peter Montgomery — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 11:44:45 EST

Gay Times (U.K.) has compiled a map with nations marked by colors representing eight legal status categories for LGBT people, ranging from marriage equality to death penalty. “Original Sin,” a book by Italian journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi, alleges “a host of…

'Rising Global Tide' Of Anti-Gay Crackdowns; More in Global LGBT Recap

Peter Montgomery — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 01:23:20 EDT

International At the Washington Post, Max Bearak takes note of the “rising global tide of crackdowns on LGBT communities” that we have been documenting in Religion Dispatches’ weekly Global LGBT Recap: This week, a government journal in the former Soviet…

U.S. Religious Right Groups Support Move Toward 'Illiberalism' of Hungary and Poland; and More in Global LGBT Recap

Peter Montgomery — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 02:55:22 EDT

The European Lesbian* Conference, which brought together 500 activists, artists, academics, politicians, journalistas and civil society leaders in Vienna ended on Sunday. At 76 Crimes, Dominique Menoga and Michaël Cousin reflect on the first international francophone conference on sexual and…

Is LGBT-Muslim Clash Aiding Rise of Right in Europe?

Peter Montgomery — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 03:11:10 EDT

OutRight Action International has published quotes from speakers at the meeting of the LGBTI Core Group during the recent United Nations General Assembly. The LGBTI Equal Rights Association for Western Balkans and Turkey held its annual conference in Podgorica, Montenegro…

Australian Church Nixes Straight Couple's Wedding Over Their Marriage Equality Support; and More in Global LGBT Recap

Peter Montgomery — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 10:15:53 EDT

Vitit Muntarbhorn, a Thai lawyer and diplomat, cited health problems in resigning effective October 31 as the United Nations’ first independent expert charged with investigating violence and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The creation of…

Catholic Cardinal Slams Jesuit's Bridge-Building Book; and More in Global LGBT Recap

Peter Montgomery — Tue, 05 Sep 2017 11:26:44 EDT

Reports from several international LGBT gatherings: The Interfaith Diversity Network of West Africa (IDNOWA), founded in 2016, reported on its August gathering in Accra, Ghana, which drew more than 30 delegates from 10 countries, for interfaith worship and conversations about…

Some Christian and Muslim Leaders Urging 'No' Vote in Australian Mail Ballot on Marriage Equality; and More in Global LGBT Recap

Peter Montgomery — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 04:13:12 EDT

Author Michael Muhammad Knight writes at Vice on “Editing Homophobia Out of the ‘Islamic Tradition.’” New Ways Ministry’s Bob Shine reflects on an interview conducted with former Vatican official Krzysztof Charamsa that was published in Religion and Gender at the…

Challenging Both Homophobia in Islam and Populist Bogeyman of 'The Homophobic Muslim'; and More in Global LGBT Recap

Peter Montgomery — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 10:00:10 EDT

Taken together, several articles published this week challenge populist portrayals of the “homophobic Muslim” as a threat to Western values in various countries, while also challenging conservative Muslim teachings that queerness and Islam are incompatible. In the Guardian, Moustafa Bayoumi…

Kuwait "Morals Committee" Announced Deportation of 76 Gay Men; and More in Global LGBT Recap

Peter Montgomery — Tue, 08 Aug 2017 12:45:26 EDT

Brian Brown, president of the International Organization for the Family, the parent organization to the World Congress of Families, bragged in a fundraising email about the organization working with the government of Hungarian strongman Viktor Orban and praising the campaign…

Burma's Spirit Festival, and More in This Week's Global LGBT Roundup

Peter Montgomery — Tue, 01 Aug 2017 05:16:04 EDT

The Washington Blade spoke to bisexual activists in a dozen countries and reported on the global movement in a two-part series. Earlier this month, the intensely anti-gay leader of the U.S.-based Mass Resistance, Brian Camenker, traveled to the U.K. to…

Malta Adopts Marriage Equality Over Objections of Catholics and Evangelicals; And More in Global LGBT Recap

Peter Montgomery — Mon, 17 Jul 2017 12:14:23 EDT

The parliament of Malta, an officially Catholic country, approved marriage equality legislation with a single dissenting vote. The lone dissenter bucked his Nationalist Party’s leadership, reports AP: Nationalist lawmaker Edwin Vassallo cited his Catholic faith and its incompatibility with what…

Founder of Liberal Mosque in Germany Under Guard After Death Threats; And More in Global LGBT Recap

Peter Montgomery — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 01:27:20 EDT

A dozen UN agencies issued a joint statement calling for an end to discrimination in health care settings; the statement includes sex, sexual orientation and gender identity among the marginalized and stigmatized groups that are vulnerable to discrimination. In Antigua…

Orthodox TV Channel Offers Gays One-Way Ticket Out of Russia; And More in Global LGBT Recap

Peter Montgomery — Wed, 05 Jul 2017 11:55:16 EDT

Madrid hosted the massive WorldPride and an affiliated human rights conference this week. Among those who attended were Iceland’s former Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, the first openly LGBT head of government, and former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero…

Turkish Police Move Against Activists Who Defied Pride Ban; And More in Global LGBT Recap

Peter Montgomery — Mon, 26 Jun 2017 12:50:22 EDT

The anti-equality World Congress of Families will hold its fourth Caribbean regional summit on June 29 and 30 in St. John’s Antigua, with speakers from US Religious Right groups Focus on the Family and Family Watch International joining Caribbean-based leaders…

Pride Month & Prejudice; 'Worrisome Time' For LGBT People; Global LGBT Recap

Peter Montgomery — Mon, 05 Jun 2017 11:56:51 EDT

LGBT communities in many parts of the world celebrate Pride month in June. The U.S. State Department told embassies and consulates that they may recognize local celebrations. The Associated Press’s David Crary kicked off the month with a June 1…

World Congress of Families Draws Anti-LGBT Activists to Budapest; More in Global LGBT Recap

Peter Montgomery — Mon, 29 May 2017 07:00:59 EDT

Activists from around the world celebrated the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT). The Arab Foundation for Freedoms and Equality compiled 14 IDAHOT projects from the Middle East and North Africa region. The World Congress of Families, a global…