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Sunday Service: Queerly Moving Forward. What Can We Do?
James Chamberlain
James Chamberlain will speak about how a few key points from that precedent setting court case are being recycled or have shifted for continued use against the 2SLGBTQIA+ community by the extreme right. Also, he’ll suggest three strategies that you might proactively use to counter the spread of this homophobic, biphobic and transphobic misinformation and disinformation.
Thirty years ago as a young kindergarten teacher James Chamberlain championed the right to have the book “One Dad Two Dads,” a book about a family with gay parents, used in Kindergarten and Grade 1 classrooms in Surrey. When school trustees voted to ban the book, James and other litigants took the case all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada and won. In 2021, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate degree from UFV in Abbotsford for his 30 years of work for advocacy of LGBTQ rights in schools.
He continues to be active in Nanaimo, founding with others a charitable, philanthropic organization called Island Queers and Allies Who Care Society. He also volunteers on the board of ROAR (Reaching Out Assisting Refugees) which sponsors the resettlement of LGBTQ+ refugees whose lives are in danger because of their gender identity or sexual orientation.
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Weekly services
We gather every Sunday morning at 11am in our Sanctuary at 49th and Oak and online at vanu.ca/live. Worship creates connections within, among, and beyond us, calling us to our better selves, calling us to live with wisdom and compassion.
After service, we gather in Hewett Centre for Coffee and Social Hour. Families with children and newcomers are always welcome!