Humanism, LGBT Rights and Social Change
Zoom talk given by Andrew Copson to the Australian Humanist community, ‘Rainbow Atheists’, on 10 February 2021.
Andrew Copson OBE is a British humanist leader, civil society activist, and writer. He is the Chief Executive of Humanists UK, a former President and current Ambassador of Humanists International, and a former Chair of LGBT Humanists UK. He is also the author of a number of books on humanism and secularism. He was appointed an OBE in the 2025 Birthday Honours for services to the Non-Religious Community.
Mandisa Thomas from Women of Color Beyond Belief
Zoom talk given by Mandisa Thomas to the Australian Humanist community, ‘Rainbow Atheists’, on 31 Mar 2021
Thomas founded Black Nonbelievers, Inc. in 2011, as a non-profit, secular fellowship. Its goals include eliminating stigma, increasing visibility, and providing support and networking opportunities around non-belief in the African-American community. The organization’s leadership is mostly female, and includes LGBTQ representation, and it has chapters in ten U.S. cities.
Beyond Equality: Here’s Why Equal LGBT+ Rights Are Not Enough
Zoom talk given by prominent British LGBT+ humanist activist Peter Tatchell to the Australian Humanist community, ‘Rainbow Atheists’, on 1 May 2021
Peter Tatchell is an Australian-British humanist and human rights defender who has been campaigning for over 50 years, since 1967. After he moved to London in 1971, he was prominent in the Gay Liberation Front, which began many years of activism. He spearheaded the fight for same-sex marriage from 1992 onwards and his sexually-explicit 1994 HIV prevention book, **Safer Sexy**, helped save lives and end the censorship of sexual imagery. He is currently Director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, and his many ongoing campaigns include fighting for the Commonwealth to abolish homophobic laws.