Throughout history, queerness — membership in a sexual or gender minority group — has been denigrated and demeaned. Queer people have been and continue to be subjected to social stigma and legal discrimination all around the world. Today in America, queer people increasingly enjoy legal equality and increased safety, but rarely are we celebrated for the positive contributions we have brought society. In this Platform, James Croft (who is gay himself) will explore some of the positive contributions LGBTQIA+ people have made to society and explain why he is proud to be queer.

Conscientious objectors are defined by the US Selective Service System as those who are “opposed to serving in the armed forces and/or bearing arms on the grounds of moral or religious principles,” and Ethical Humanists played a part in securing the rights of COs for non-theistic people. What are some of the motivations of COs? And what broader lessons can we learn from their principles and experiences?

Often we are afraid to speak out when we see something we believe is wrong. Perhaps we fear that we will lose friends or opportunities if we say what we believe, or perhaps we fear reprisal from those we criticize: either way, we can be discouraged from saying “This is wrong!” Yet movements to end injustice require people with precisely this sort of courage. So how do we find the courage to speak out when it is difficult?

One of the most important ways we grow is through the help of others. Teaching, parenting, and mentoring are all ways we can help other people develop through life. But what are the most effective ways to do this? How, precisely, do we elicit the best in others?

What’s with the decluttering craze? It’s a very popular topic these days—we seem to spend half our time amassing stuff and the other half trying to organize and get rid of it. Some see the decluttering obsession as the ultimate “first world problem,” but in our cheap, mass-produced world, people of every economic situation can find themselves drowning in stuff.

Our relationship with our possessions brings up many powerful and often conflicting emotions and connects to both our environmental values and our personal histories. Decluttering principles can also be applied to more than material things. How can being more mindful of our space and our stuff help us lead happier and more ethical lives?

A major part of growth is growing up. All of us have to manage the transition from childhood to adulthood: at some point we have to start “adulting.” But what does it mean to be an adult? Is it good or bad? In a culture obsessed with youth and childhood, would it be better to stay forever young, or is adulthood desirable?

While the goal of diversity in any community is noble, it is one of many steps in building community. Diversity in the room builds capacity to achieve the ultimate goal of cross-cultural engagement and community building. Such engagement is characterized by an acceptance of multiple worldviews, a willingness to co-create rather than control and the patience to endure. Cecilia will discuss how cross-cultural engagement can transform us and our community.

Cecilia Nadal is founder and executive director of Gitana Productions Inc., an arts and education organization that uses music, dance and drama to bring diverse groups together in acceptance and mutual understanding.

Bringing together our monthly theme of the arts with Women’s History Month, this platform address will look at data and ethical issues on representations of women in TV and films. What are some of the reasons for these representations? What messages are sent about gender and gender roles by our popular culture? To what extent should the media show us the world as it is or the world as it “should be” (and according to whom)?

Every person has or will experience the death of people close to them. This platform address will describe one person’s story of the first significant death experienced, but hopefully it will have universal relevance to how our personal experiences with death influence our worldview, choices, and lives. Images to accompany this platform (PDF).

One of the biggest issues any worldview wrestles with is death. Why do people die? How does the fact of death shape human culture, understanding, and meaning? As a tradition based in a naturalistic understanding of life, Ethical Humanism looks at death as a part of the endless evolutionary process that produced human beings. What evolutionary purposes does death serve? How should we think about death? What would it re-ally mean for humans to live greatly extended lives?