Festival of Humanism 2025: A day of reflection, inspiration, creativity and laughter

November 11, 2025

Our Charity

Our 2025 Festival of Humanism, held at the beautiful Clayton Hotel in Glasgow on Saturday 8 November, brought together an inspiring range of voices working for equality, creativity, and social change in Scotland and beyond.

Following welcome addresses by our Chair, Jennifer Buchan and our CEO, Fraser Sutherland, the day opened with a fascinating talk about fighting Section 28 by Brian Dempsey, a professor of law and long-time advocate for LGBT+ rights, who was first active in the Scottish Homosexual Rights Group in 1983, then ACTUP London.

He reflected on his decades of activism, from the fight against Section 28 to his academic work documenting the history of equality movements in Scotland, offering valuable historical context for current struggles.

Then, it was time to hear from Jordan Daly, co-founder of Time for Inclusive Education (TIE), who shared the story behind Scotland becoming the first country in the world to commit to LGBT-inclusive education, highlighting the importance of tackling prejudice through learning and empowering teachers and young people.

Jordan and Brian then took questions from the audience together; it was a very valuable session where everyone was able to reflect on the hard-won LGBT+ rights we have in Scotland today: although, of course, the battle is far from over and the current legislative attacks on the trans community, in particular, have strong echoes of past discrimination against the lesbian and gay communities in the 1980s.

Jordan (L) and Brian (R) take questions from the audience

Next, Shgufta Anwar, founder of Women on Wheels, inspired the audience with her mission to normalise women cycling, especially women of colour. She spoke passionately about empowerment, visibility, and community. Her organisation was founded five years ago, in Glasgow, and has grown hugely since then, and runs a wide range of services and events in the city, including free Tuesday cycling sessions for refugees and women seeking asylum.

Everyone was extremely impressed to hear about the great work done by Women on Wheels

Hazel Darwin-Clements then got us all up and interacting with each other with an energetic session that brought creativity and climate action together, describing her work in theatre and community projects that spark conversations around accountability and sustainability in Scotland. As the founder of Porty Active Travel Hub in Edinburgh, Hazel has been described as a “community champion powerhouse” – and for good reason. She grew a bike library into an active travel hub with e-cargo bikes, e-bikes, BMXs for kids’ classes, training bikes and a folding bike. The hub runs led rides, training sessions, a community fridge and more.

Hazel kept us all on our toes before lunch with her energetic presentation

After lunch, abortion rights campaigners Lucy Grieve and Rachael Clarke shared their perspectives on policy reform and activism. Lucy, founder of Back Off Scotland, reflected on the success of Scotland’s new buffer zone law and ongoing efforts to expand abortion access, while Rachael, Head of Advocacy at BPAS, spoke about their efforts to advance compassionate, evidence-based abortion care through collaboration with the Scottish government and healthcare professionals.

One serious issue raised in the session was the fact that nowhere in Scotland offers abortions post-20 weeks, despite the fact that the legal limit in Scotland, England, and Wales is 24 weeks. For abortions after this point, pregnant people are often referred to services in England, such as those provided by BPAS: and Lucy shared powerful testimony from women who’d been forced to travel down to England by train for medically necessary procedures, often at a risk to their health.

Rachael Clarke (C) and Lucy Grieve (R) take questions from the audience

The day also featured Sean Lìonadh, whose powerful poetry and film work explore love, trauma, and queer identity. His reflections on art as a tool for empathy and resistance resonated deeply with the audience, and it was marvellous to hear him read his own poems, including one about compulsory religious observance called House of Prayer.

We were also honoured by a visit from Scotland’s former Makar, Liz Lochhead, who followed Sean with a series of readings and reflections on language, art, and the human condition, reminding everyone of the enduring role creativity plays in connecting us and expressing shared humanity. As part of her session, she read out a beautiful, heart-wrenching poem by Palestinian poet Maya Abu Al-Hayyat, that Liz had worked alongside Maya to translate. It’s called, simply, “Children”.

The day ended with a lively hustings event, where political candidates from the Conservative, Labour, SNP and Green parties made themselves available to Humanist Society Scotland members to answer their questions in the run-up to the next Holyrood election in May 2026.

(L-R) Humanist Society Scotland CEO Fraser Sutherland, Sandesh Gulhane MSP, Paul Sweeney MSP, Cllr Lloyd Melville and Patrick Harvie MSP

The hustings panel featured Patrick Harvie MSP – Scottish Green candidate for Glasgow Region, Paul Sweeney MSP – Scottish Labour candidate for Glasgow Easterhouse and Springburn, Cllr Lloyd Melville – SNP candidate for Angus South and Sandesh Gulhane MSP – Scottish Conservative and Unionist candidate for Glasgow Anniesland. The Lib Dems were unable to send a candidate, but were invited.

We’re very grateful to all of the speakers and attendees who came along on Saturday, and we’re also very grateful to our staff for their hard work in putting together and organising such a successful event. Hope to see you all again in 2026!