MORSL is pleased to introduce our cohort of students for the 2021 Parliament of the World's Religions! We are sponsoring a total of 17 students from a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and programs.

Fatima Amjad is a graduate student in the Faculty of Law. They are excited to hear from influential global leaders such as the Dalai Lama.

Olivia Bala is a U3 student in Physical and Health Education. She is excited to extend her own involvement with the Church of Latter-Day-Saints and MORSL in this event.

Ryan Brown is a U2 student doing an Honours in Religious Studies with specific interest in South and East Asian religions. He hopes to connect this specialization with the discussions held at the Parliament.

Cathy Chuang is a U3 student majoring is Psychology and Religion. She is looking forward to learning more about faith in action and seeing the role religion has played during the pandemic.

Taja De Silva is a U4 student in Religious Studies and World Islamic and Middle East Studies. They are excited to tie together their interest in Buddhism with many of the topics presented at the Parliament.

Sandra Gauthier is a U2 Mechanical Engineering student. She hopes to learn more about a variety of faiths.

Diana Gomez is a U3 Mechanical Engineering student. She looks forward to growing in understanding how faith and religion are intrinsic to living a life of true and deep fulfillment.

Sevghi Haidar is a U3 Psychology student. She has a very strong admiration for the Dalai Lama and is most looking forward to hearing him speak.

Dylan Hillerbrand is a M1 Early Music Performance student. He has a long interest in interfaith community building and collective action, and hopes to connect that interest with the themes of the conference.

Chloé Hugla is a U1 student majoring in Political Science and Religious Studies. She hopes to supplement her academic interest in religion with a more vested personal experience and express her understanding through an artistic medium.

Antonia Lieben-Seutter is a U4 student majoring in Anthropology and minoring in Religious Studies. She participated in MORSL's 2018 Parliament trip and found it to be one of the most exciting experiences in her studies. She is excited to apply her knowledge gained since then to this year's virtual conference.

Elyse MacLeod is a PhD4 student in the School of Religious Studies. She studies intercultural and interreligious dialogue and feels that the Parliament is an important global forum for furthering dialogue, peace, and justice.

Kiran Singh is a U1 student in International Development Studies. They are part of the McGill Dharma Society and are keen to delve into the topic of conflict resolution.

Darcy Wang is a U3 student double majoring in in Philosophy and East Asian studies. She feels that the Parliament is an excellent opportunity to listen to and learn from different voices and as an imaginary way to travel across cultures during the pandemic.

Betty Wang is a U4 Psychology student. She joined this cohort because she hopes to be part of the antidote to the current chaos in the world.

Ian Whatley is a U2 joint Honours Economics and Finance student originally from Salt Lake City, Utah. He has always had an interest in both the shared wisdom of the great religious traditions of the world and the unique approaches which they have to the great questions of life.

The multi-day conference begins on Saturday, October 16th and ends on Monday, October 18th.

In 1994, a coalition of education-based organizations in the United States designated October as LGBT History Month. In 1995, a resolution passed by the General Assembly of the National Education Association included LGBT History Month within a list of commemorative months. National Coming Out Day (October 11), as well as the first "March on Washington" in 1979, are commemorated in the LGBTQ community during LGBT History Month.

The theme of McGill's 2021 Queer History Month (QHM) is "Coming Together." We know it has been challenging for many folks since the start of the pandemic, especially for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities where shared spaces have always been a source of strength, resilience and affirmation. As places start to open up, this year's QHM offers a renewed opportunity to come together as we begin to move past all the changes we've lived through as of late. Showing up to celebrate, to share, to reflect, to reconnect, and everything else in between.

There are many events taking place locally and globally to bring awareness to LGBTQ+ issues. Check out McGill's schedule of events for Queer History Month.

MORSL is pleased to be partnering with Queer McGill for a Movie Night in honor of Queer History Month this Wednesday evening!

We'll be watching Devout + Out: Cormac, a documentary about a queer trans non-binary youth minister who works at an anglican church in Toronto.

This event will be held over Jitsi, a free online videoconferencing platform. This event is free and open to all! Be sure to check back at the event page for the link to the live stream.