Sexual Diversity & Sexual Rights. Challenge for Church & Society

1. Sexual Diversity & Sexual Rights. Challenge for Church & Society Sexuality and religion. Looking for a Connection. Tartu University, October 11, 2019 Sólveig Anna Bóasdóttir, Professor of Theological Ethics, University of Iceland

5. Sexual Rights - preamble • Sexual rights are universal human rights based on the inherent freedom, dignity, and equality of all human beings. Since health is a fundamental human right, so must sexual health be a basic human right. In order to assure that human beings and societies develop healthy sexuality, the following sexual rights must be recognized, promoted, respected, and defended by all societies through all means. Sexual health is the result of an environment that recognizes, respects and exercises these sexual rights.

6. Eleven specific Sexual Rights • The right to sexual freedom, sexual autonomy, integrity and safety of the body, sexual privacy, sexual equity, sexual pleasure, emotional sexual expression, to sexually associate freely, make free and responsible reproductive choices, the right to sexual information based upon scientific inquiry, sexual education and sexual health care.

7. BornFreeandEqual 2012 • The case for extending the same rights to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons as those enjoyed by everyone else is neither radical nor complicated. It rests on two fundamental principles that underpin international human rights law: equality and non-discrimination. The opening words of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are unequivocal: “All Human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”

8. BornFreeandEqual, introduction: • The legal obligations of States to safeguard the human rights of LGBT and intersex people are well established in international human rights law based on the Universal Declaration of Human rights and subsequently agreed international human rights treaties. All people, irrespective of sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, are intitled to enjoy the protections provided for by international human rights law, including respect of right to life, security of persona and privacy, the right to be free from torture, arbitrary arrest and detention, the right to be free from discrimination and the right to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.

13. Clergy of the Lutheran Church: • “The (2005) Pastoral Synod of Iceland, asks the bishop to refer to a doctrinal committee the task of responding to the request for Church involvement in contracting same-sex partnership, as when a man and a woman are concerned.”

14. Pastors´sanwers Two questions to Clergy: The Questions: Around 65% - highly or somewhat positive - will use their right. More than 20% very negative 6.5 % slightly negative to receiving those rights. Almost 80% of female clergy highly or somewhat in favor the state´s intention to give the church those rights 60% of male pastor held the same position. Younger pastors were more positive and more likely to make use of the potential rights than the older ones. 1) Are you positive or negative toward state intentions to give religious organizations the right to conduct civil partnership? 2) How likely is it that you will use those rights?

15. In 2008 all Icelandic religious associations got the right to conduct civil partnership

16. Doyouintendtoconductcivilpartnership under thenewlaw? • Response ratemorethan 90% • 77% Yes • 7% No

17. „One MarriageLegislation“ June 27 2010 • We, pastors, deacons, and theologians working within the Icelandic Lutheran Church and other religious communities in Iceland, celebrate the new marriage legislation taking effect today. We celebrate that today both heterosexual couples and gay and lesbian couples can marry in their church.

19. Katrín Jakobsdóttir Prime minister

22. Thank you!