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To mark the end of Season One, Gary and Leon are joined by Harry, Fundraising and Communications Officer at Humanists International, who hosts a special listener Q&A. Questions came in from around the world covering everything from digital safety under repressive regimes, to the future of the UN, to humanism's role in the age of AI and climate change.

In this episode we cover

• How humanists living under restrictive regimes can stay safe and connected — and what Humanists International can offer
• The Freedom of Thought Report — greatest improvements and worst declines over the past decade
• Humanism, climate change and AI — can humanists help shape the story humanity tells about itself?
• Concerns about the direction of UN reform and what it means for human rights funding and civil society
• How Humanists International sets its priorities, how it is governed, and how it is financed

Further reading and references

• Humanists International casework and security resources: https://humanists.international/what-we-do/
• Frontline Defenders — security support for human rights defenders: https://www.frontlinedefenders.org
• Luxembourg Declaration on Artificial Intelligence — Humanists International: https://humanists.international/policy/luxembourg-declaration-on-artificial-intelligence-and-human-values/
• UN80 Initiative — reform framework: https://www.un.org/en/un80

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• Support Humanists International
• Follow our Campaigns
• About - Humanists International
• Join us at the World Humanists Congress 2026

This podcast is produced by Humanise Live.

Start your podcast today, visit: humanise.live

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Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

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Gary joins from Guatemala, where he has been meeting with Humanistas Guatemala and learning about the growing influence of American evangelical Christianity and the fascinating tradition of Catholic-Mayan syncretism. Leon meanwhile shares updates including cautious optimism around the Hungarian election result, ongoing tensions in Iran and the Middle East, the worrying composition of the newly elected UN Committee on NGOs, and welcome news that UN High Commissioner has endorsed the codification of gender apartheid as an international crime.

This week's guest is Janalee Morris, Executive Director of Humanist Canada, which is co-hosting the 2026 World Humanist Congress in Ottawa this August. Janalee gives a wide-ranging overview of Humanist Canada's work — from training officiants and chaplains to advocacy on the census religion question, publicly funded Catholic schools, and Alberta's restrictions on gender-affirming care and medical assistance in dying. She also shares her excitement about the Congress and what it means to bring the global humanist movement together at this critical moment.

In this episode we cover

• Evangelical Christian growth in Guatemala and Catholic-Mayan syncretism
• Cautious optimism on Hungary's election result
• Endorsements for codification of gender apartheid as an international crime
• Humanist Canada Campaigns, Advocacy and Activities
• Humanist ceremonies, officiants and the provincial licensing challenge
• Why Attend The World Humanist Congress 2026

Further reading and references

• Humanist Canada: https://www.humanistcanada.ca
  • Humanist Canada chaplaincy programme: https://www.humanistcanada.ca/programs/chaplaincy/
  • Humanist Canada Choice Chat podcast on reproductive rights: https://www.humanistcanada.ca/programs/podcast/choice-chat-podcast/
• Humanistas Guatemala: https://www.facebook.com/HumanistasGuatemala
• Volker Türk supports codification of gender apartheid as a crime against humanity — OHCHR: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/01/turk-urges-ambition-crimes-against-humanity-treaty

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This podcast is produced by Humanise Live.

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🎶Music: Horizon by Simon Folwar

Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

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This week's guest is Dr. Lucy Potter, postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Sociological Studies at the University of York. Her landmark three-year study — Freedom of Religion or Belief for All: Recognising and Protecting the Non-Religious in the Asylum System — reveals how the UK's asylum system routinely misunderstands and fails people fleeing persecution for leaving their religion. Lucy shares her key findings, her policy recommendations to the Home Office, and how she has been taking this research to Parliament and the UN.

In this episode we cover

• The UN Committee on NGOs — why the newly elected slate of states is alarming for civil society
• The crisis in the Middle East and the erosion of the rules-based international order
• What drew Dr. Lucy Potter to research non-religious asylum claims
• Why the asylum system struggles to assess non-religious identity claims
• Key recommendations — updated Home Office policy, staff training, and adjusting the burden of proof

References

• Dr. Lucy Potter's report — Freedom of Religion or Belief for All: Recognising and Protecting the Non-Religious in the Asylum System: https://humanists.uk/wp-content/uploads/Freedom-of-Religion-or-Belief-for-All-report.pdf
• Humanists UK — work on asylum and FoRB training: https://humanists.uk/campaigns/asylum/
• UK All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group: https://humanists.uk/campaigns/parliament/all-party-parliamentary-humanist-group/
• UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief: https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-religion-or-belief
• UN Committee on NGOs: https://csonet.org
• Freedom of Thought Report: https://fot.humanists.international

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• About - Humanists International
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This podcast is produced by Humanise Live.

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Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

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This week Gary and Leon zoom out from day-to-day advocacy to reflect on the wider global climate shaping freedom of thought. From rising populism and religious nationalism to legal battles and cultural shifts, the episode explores how political, legal, and social trends are reinforcing division, and what that means for humanists globally.

They revisit key Humanists International declarations, discuss pressures on courts and human rights systems, and examine how anti-rights actors coordinate across countries. We then turn to culture, including the “quiet revival” controversy, the rise of the manosphere, and what these trends reveal about meaning, identity, and the challenges facing young people today.

In this episode we cover:

• Growing Humanists International’s advocacy team
• The enduring relevance of the Auckland Declaration against the politics of division
• How anti-rights actors coordinate across law, lobbying, and international advocacy
• The “quiet revival” controversy and why bad religion data matters
• The manosphere, nihilism, and the search for meaning among young men

References

• Auckland Declaration against the Politics of Division - Humanists International
• London Declaration on Secularism - Humanists International
• Statement on upholding the independence of the ECtHR - Norwegian
  NGO Forum for Human Rights
• Bible Society retracts false Quiet Revival claims - Humanists UK
• Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization - Wikipedia
• Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere - Netflix
• Adolescence - IMDB
• Almost a third of Gen Z men agree a wife should obey her husband - Kings College London

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• About - Humanists International
• Join us at the World Humanists Congress 2026

This podcast is produced by Humanise Live.

Start your podcast today, visit: humanise.live

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Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

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Gary and Leon open with updates from New York and the closing days of the UN Human Rights Council — including concerns about efficiency measures cutting special rapporteur reporting, and urgent debates around the crisis in Iran. Gary reflects on Humanists International's statement, reaffirming that concern for human rights in Iran and concern about US military action are grounded in the same principles of international law.

This week's guest is Javan Lev Poblador, Membership Manager at Humanists International, overseeing 120 member organisations across 60 countries. Javan shares his journey from a Mormon household in the Philippines to co-founding Humanist Alliance Philippines International (HAPI) and gives an inside look at how Humanists International supports its members through advocacy, training, and a grants programme that reached over 300,000 people in 2025.

In this episode we cover

• The UN Human Rights Council — efficiency measures and the Iran urgent debates
• Humanists International's statement on US military action in Iran
• Lawfare, amicus briefs, and why Humanists International is entering the legal arena
• Javan's journey from Mormonism to humanism in the Philippines
• How Humanists International supports members across 60 countries
• The grants programme — impact from Nigeria to Peru to the Philippines
• Membership growth in Africa, Latin America, and Asia
• How to join or start a humanist organisation

Further reading and references

• Humanists International statement on Iran: https://humanists.international/statements/
• Humanists International grants programme: https://humanists.international/what-we-do/grants/
• Join or apply for membership — Humanists International: https://humanists.international/members/join/
• Humanist Alliance Philippines International (HAPI):
  https://hapihumanist.org/
• Commission on the Status of Women — UN Women: https://www.unwomen.org/en/csw
• UN Special Rapporteurs and Special Procedures: https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures-human-rights-council

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• Follow our Campaigns
• About - Humanists International
• Join us at the World Humanists Congress 2026

This podcast is produced by Humanise Live.

Start your podcast today, visit: humanise.live

🎶Music: Horizon by Simon Folwar

Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

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Leon returns from the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva with a concerning update: so-called efficiency measures are cutting special rapporteur reporting with a blunt, one-size-fits-all approach that threatens the most urgent human rights mandates. He also shares news of a landmark European Court of Human Rights case on religious symbols in Greek courtrooms and his published response to Alliance Defending Freedom International in the Oxford Human Rights Hub.

Then Gary speaks with two humanist legislators: Lizzi Collinge, Labour MP and chair of the UK All Party Parliamentary Humanist Group, and Heidi Nordby Lunde, Director of Politics at the Norwegian Humanist Association and former Conservative MP for 12 years — on what it means to legislate by humanist values, and how to meet rising religious nationalism with firmness and kindness.

In this episode we cover

• Leon's Human Rights Council debrief - worrying trends in special rapporteur reporting
• The Greek courtroom icons case at the European Court of Human Rights
• What it means to be a humanist legislator
• Humanists as a political constituency - and why the "belief" in freedom of religion or belief keeps getting forgotten
• The rise of religious nationalism in the UK, Norway, and beyond
• How well-funded lobbying groups are deliberately sowing division in democratic societies
• Why progress isn't inevitable - and why humanists need to keep showing up
• Join Lizzi & Heidi at the World Humanist Congress 2026 in Ottawa

References

• Civil society urges UN member states to strengthen the Human Rights Council — ISHR: https://ishr.ch/latest-updates/civil-society-urges-un-member-states-to-strengthen-the-human-rights-council-during-discussion-on-the-2026-status-review/
• Leon's blog — An Alternative View on Union of Atheists v Greece: https://ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk/an-alternative-view-on-union-of-atheists-v-greece/
• UN Special Rapporteurs and Special Procedures: https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures-human-rights-council
• Conway Hall — home of free thought in the UK: https://conwayhall.org.uk

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This podcast is produced by Humanise Live.

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Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

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This week, Leon reports live from Geneva at the UN Human Rights Council, where a special session on children in armed conflict brings the human cost of global conflict into sharp focus. Against that backdrop, Gary and Leon reflect on the US military action in Iran and what it means for the international rules-based order.

We are then joined by Andrew Copson, Chief Executive of Humanists UK and former President of Humanists International for a decade, for a wide-ranging conversation on leadership, global humanist growth, and why, "humanist values are ideal for our modern, plural world." Andrew speaks candidly about the recklessness of unlawful military action, the promise of a more globally diverse humanist movement, and why coming together in person at the World Humanist Congress still matters more than ever.

In this episode we cover

• Reflections from Geneva and the UN Human Rights Council
• What the military action in Iran and means for international law and humanist advocacy
• Andrew's decade as President of Humanists International
• Diversifying the board and growing humanism in the global south
• The World Humanist Congress 2026 in Canada
• The Resolutions Committee and why humanist declarations matter
• Why humanist values are uniquely suited to a plural, interconnected world

Further reading and references

• Humanists International Statement on the Crisis in Iran: https://humanists.international/2026/03/crisis-in-iran-opposing-state-repression/
• UN Human Rights Council: https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/about-council
• Humanists International Congress Declarations (including Oslo Declaration on Peace, 2011 and Luxembourg Declaration on AI, 2025): https://humanists.international/congress-declarations/

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• About - Humanists International
• Join us at the World Humanists Congress 2026

This podcast is produced by Humanise Live.

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Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

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Welcome to Freedom of Thought, the podcast by Humanists International.

This week the roles reverse. Instead of interviewing a guest, Leon Langdon becomes the policymaker explaining how Humanists International works inside the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Leon walks through how the Council functions, why the Universal Periodic Review matters, and what actually happens during a typical session, from negotiating resolutions and delivering statements to meeting diplomats and civil society partners. The episode also explores the growing pressures on the UN system and why civil society organisations remain essential to documenting abuses and defending universal human rights.

In this episode we cover

• What the UN Human Rights Council is and how it works
• Why the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) holds every state to account
• The role of Special Rapporteurs and independent human rights experts
• How Humanists International supports members engaging the UN
• Freedom of religion or belief debates at the Council
• What actually happens during a Human Rights Council session in Geneva

Further reading and references

• UN Human Rights Council overview: https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/about-council
• Universal Periodic Review explained: https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/upr/upr-home
• Special Rapporteurs and UN Special Procedures: https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures-human-rights-council
• Freedom of religion or belief mandate: https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-religion-or-belief
• Freedom of Thought Report: https://humanists.international/what-we-do/freedom-of-thought-report/

Follow Humanist International

• Sign up for our free Newsletter
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• Follow our Campaigns
• About - Humanists International
• Join us at the World Humanists Congress 2026

This podcast is produced by Humanise Live.

Start your podcast today, visit: humanise.live

🎶Music: Horizon by Simon Folwar

Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.