Hey guys, it's Nate, aka The Foot Accountant, and welcome back to the channel. We are back at the setup. Long weekend is over. We are back and ready to grind this week. And I am so excited to get into the content in FIFA 23 right now because it is exactly what we asked for. It's exactly what we wanted. And I want to cover that and break it down in today's video. We got a lot of content yesterday and I'm expecting some more today that is going to move the market and make the menus very, very grindable. And they currently are in that state, very, very grindable. The hype, I think, has returned back, at least for me, to the menus a bit because of this big change. And we had a lot of content yesterday and a lot of market movements. So we got to talk about all of that and more in today's video. If you enjoy the videos of the channel, drop a thumbs up, of course. Subscribe if you are new. Let's start with yesterday's content because there is a lot to go over. Yesterday and Monday was a big day. Let's start with the showdown in SBC, right? That was our SBC content that we didn't have yesterday. Two very interestingly priced SBCs. It's usually showdowns are like basically the same price for both of the SBCs that are dropped. That is not the case at all here. We got a Montiel and a Wynaldum as it was leaked. Montiel and a Wynaldum, in my opinion, might be both must-do SBCs. A five-star week foot upgrade for this card. High, high work rates. But look at the positions this guys can play. I mean, I'm sure you guys have seen this. He can play right back, center back, left back with that five-star week. But he is five foot nine, so he's maybe not the best center back because he's going to be Cordoba-esque pretty short. But he's going to be pretty pacey. He can actually be explosive. That would be kind of crazy, an explosive center back. That's something like we haven't seen in a long time. But that's going to be a card. I think most people will play it right back or left back. And it's just pretty cheap, right? Of course, the winner of this Europa League final is going to get a plus two upgrade. So either Montiel will be going to a 93 at 60,000 coins and two squads to do. Somehow two squads in 60K. It's going to be very craftable with upgrade packs this week. I'm going to be getting that one done for sure just because it'll be easy to craft. But the more hyped player, in my opinion, and the one that I kind of hope gets the dub is Wine Album. High, high work rates, four-star, five-star week foot. He can play all of the midfielder positions in central and, of course, right mid, which is very, very nice. Links to that Tammy Abraham wrote to the final card as well. 98 balance, 99 stamina, really well-rounded card, amazing player, flair trade, and the five-star week foot's a really big boost for him. Now, like I said, very different price points, though. You've got a 191,000 coin Wine Album card and you've got a 60,000 coin Montiel. You can see they're both very highly upvoted. I think Wine Album might be the more popular of the two. If we take a look at the upvotes, you have 1,500 thumbs up for this card. And what does Montiel have? Montiel's got 600, right? I think more people are voting on the thumbs up for Wine Album because I think that's the more like maybe meta FIFA card. But Montiel is still kind of sick. The fact he can play that card at center back and left back and right back is pretty cool. So that was a W showdown yesterday from EA Sports. I will say this is why we did not invest in any of the Serie A midfielders because we knew that this was Wine Album was coming. Look at some of these cards. Barello was 140K. He went all the way down to 125. Now, some of them have rebounded back a little bit. Benocer is another one who had a big dip in price yesterday. If any of these guys are still low with the Serie A hype upcoming, I'm sure a lot of people were investing yesterday at this low point. If any of them are still very, very low or get near this low point they were at yesterday, as some of them have rebounded, that will be an investment that I would keep an eye on. And I think there's good potential there. Benocer was 290. He went down to 270. Right now he's about 290. That's an undercut there at 269. So I would say watch your Serie A center-mids because that could be a part of the market that is a bit low right now because of Wine Album that could actually be going up later. And we'll take a look at some other right backs, actually, that are down a bit on the market because of Montiel as well, including one that is in the League One team of the season. But other content that we got yesterday, Ben, I feel like EA deserves a GG, a little bit of a hand clap because it took them four weeks, right? But they finally listened, guys. They put out the player picks that we have been asking for. Yeah, it's not an 81 plus, but it is an 80 plus player pick that all you have to turn in is gold comments. And what this does is it makes the menus so grindable right now. You can go from bronzes all the way up to gold rares with certain and specific upgrade SBCs or League SBCs in between there with some of the SBCs that are still available in this game. And you can craft all the way through. So it's an incredible, incredible grind right now on this game. I have not done a single upgrade pack or a single player pick just yet. I got to get working on that. I've got a lot of cards in the clubs. You could see a lot of cards that I had stocked up, not comments, but I gold rares for sure. And I'm very excited to hit these player picks just because it gives us way better fodder, man. A lot of people are saying that FIFA is dead right now. And I get that team of the season is a bit repetitive and I get that it's the same schedule over and over and over. And that can wear people out, right? That can be something that takes people off of the game. But this player pick right here, it's one simple player pick SBC, man. But like, look at that. Look at the fodder that I'm getting, an 85, Giorginho. That's going straight into my club. And that's going to go straight into probably the YNL, the SBC, or another SBC that I'm crafting. The player picks just give it so much grind ability to the menus. It's huge. And this is why we had one of them for a long time. It makes me want to send a lot more coins into upgrade packs like the 75 times 11 was another SBC that was dropped yesterday at a pretty good price for a very high chance of a team of the season as well. We've got the premium league one upgrades as well, which evidently the XP for this is bugged. If you do it sometimes, it's not counting for some people. So not sure what's going on there. We all need our XP right now. But this upgrade pack grind right now is just insane. It's really restored some life back to the menus and some hype, in my opinion, for this game. So I don't know how good the tots pack weight is in like the league one premium upgrade packs. The 80 plus player picks, of course, give you an opportunity to pack league one team of season cards and the Super League Tots cards. But I will say this, the 75 times 11 I haven't seen any open. I haven't opened mine yet. We'll save that for today on stream, of course. But I have to imagine that the weight on these is pretty good. Just because there's so few golds that are in the league one, right? So many chances to pack lose. Take a look at some of these cards. Medina was 150 yesterday before content. He went all the way down to 120 K where he is now a lot of the middle to the load tier of this league one team of season is really hurting in price after yesterday. Again, I said after Monday of content, I'm not touching these tots cards and I'm glad that I did it. 100,000 coins all the way down to seventy eight seventy seven K for Fofana. Really, I think the middle to load tier of this tots squad is getting hurt in price a lot right now because of the upgrade packs number one. And then some of them, you know, hurt by maybe like, you know, the Fofana probably hurt by wine all of them a bit. And this Klaus going from 120 down to 94,000 coins, probably impacted by the Montiel SBC as well. But again, that's why I didn't try to trade or invest with any of those Syria tots cards, sorry, not Syria league one, tots cards after content yesterday on Monday. And we'll talk more about those cards here in a minute. But this upgrade pack grind is very, very nice. The 75 times 11 is a really good chance of packing a blue, right? I think that's another reason why those lower tier tots cards are down. 81, 84, if you're doing any upgrade packs, super, super craftable. And like you saw, I got an 85 Georgino out of that 80 plus player pick. That's one thing that I think is making the menus very grindable right now. But it's actually hurting some of our investments, right? We invested in some fodder over the weekend. Take a look at 83s. They're still 1.6 K, 84 is still 4,000 coins, 85 still the low eight K range. Fodder is really not moving and it's not moving because everybody is getting a ton of fodder from those upgrade packs and specifically the player picks. Now, you're having probably a bit of a spike every single day still on the 83s and the 84s, maybe the 85s. But specifically that 84 and under range, you're going to have some spikes on it because people are going to run out of fodder for the 75 11. And since this has such a great potential of packing a team of season card, I don't know why this is 83 percent downvoted. This is a must do SBC every single day that it refreshes because you get such a good chance at packing a legal and Todd's card from this. People are going to be doing that, right? And you're going to see SBC fodder probably spike like you do every single week around the content drop time. I would expect fodder is still going to end up being a ties in the middle of the week. So if you did invest, there's more SBCs coming. You still could see a fodder rise this week. I like the 84s, though, the best. If I was to buy something right now to try to flip on the daily, 84s would be my go to. And then, of course, with these upgrade packs that are out, I believe gold rares have started to go up a little bit. I don't think they're crazy high yet. But if you invest in these at like 650, looks like they're like 850 to 900. Is that where they're at? Nine hundreds were expiring at 850 in the cell for gold rares. They're probably going to go up even more into today. And I want to check gold commons as well. Just because the player picks are there, I would imagine that commons are maybe up a little bit as some people will just buy the commons straight away. Yeah, commons are up just a little bit. 400 to 450, yeah, 450 probably for those and probably going to rise a little bit more into today.  If you invested there, those are probably going to go up again. If you invested in fodder, like I did a bit of a club stock, probably going to see those prices still spike up Wednesday, Thursday. They'll get towards their highest, especially with more content still up coming, right? We talked about in yesterday's video, two SBCs that could have dropped yesterday. We got one of them. Well, guess what? Another one still could be coming, right? This guy, our the flashback that we also saw leaked with Kampan Bay that we're really, really excited for. This could be a really nice player, SBC to craft to link to some of the other League one Tots cards. Coming into this game today, I think this SBC is today because Tuesdays have been a main league SBC player for basically all the last four weeks of team of the season. So this is one that I think would be the highest percentage chance of coming today. Eusebio could also be an SBC that drops today for an icon. But we'll see now for this our card, there was one obvious link and he's actually down in price at all, right? At all is the obvious link to this one. And I think the our might be might be put off might put off some people today because it does not have the France links because he of course changed nationalities to be Algerian. So you've got a tall being a card that links him up very nicely. And then if you use a couple other league one players or a player from Lyon, then of course you'll be on chem. But this is a tall cards actually down a lot because of the Montiel. And I don't often say this, but I am picking up a couple of atolls right now. I don't often like shout out specific investments. I'm not picking up a ton of him because this card is very, very invested. And if you take a look at like any given time, some of his cheapest cards on the market, they all have like most of them will have seen this zero games played in the current club. That means that it's an investor. That means the people that are listed in these are just trying to get the coins and sell the card. And they're probably not making too much coins off this either. So I've picked up a couple of these. I'm trying to get like 50 K or 51 52,000 coins if I can. A couple of bids there just because I don't see many opportunities besides maybe some other Lyon cards. You could look at that as well. Cherokee, Lacazette, a couple of others that could be dropping or could be rising with the drop of that our SBC. I just feel like this is going to have hype if it drops today. I hope it's not that expensive. It's got to be cheaper than Kempembe for sure. This should be no more. It should be a juice card and no more than like two to 50 for it to be really, really high, maybe 300 K max. But we probably like it to be lower than that just because the links are a bit tougher because he's not French anymore. But I think there's really good potential for that today. Also, maybe that 83 times three league one, if that's going to be an SBC, that could be something that drops today on this game, too. And that would probably be a pack that would make some fodder rise up as well on the lower tier. That's another reason where you could see 83s, 84s and 85s go back up a bit more in price, right? That one is more unknown for sure. Player SBC today. Also, Super League Tots guaranteed should be today as well. That's kind of a Tuesday common piece of content that we get a Cardi is down a lot more. I'm pretty sure last night on the YouTube video, we were looking at him and he was like 295,000 coins. Yes, of course, he got packed some yesterday from new packs in the store and stuff like that. But a lot of this price dropping off is honestly people that had that card and more supply coming in, people selling it and driving the price down because everybody right now is just grinding the upgrades. I cannot believe that Mertens is 35.  This is a such a good card for such a low price. 35K for Mertens. He's almost like fodder. That is nuts. Valencia is still very expensive. Needs to come down. Barini really good card for the price. This is a cheap team of Tots cards from a secondary league and I'm all for it. But that guaranteed Tots pack is going to come out today. Probably 83, 84 rated squad. Nothing going to be too crazy there. But that'll be another SBC that could make some that lower tier fodder go up a bit. And just something else to watch out for today on this game. Also, Tuesdays. I can't go into the store unless I go into the back doorway through the draft to get to the few points, right? This is how you go into the store through the back door if you've got cards that are in the unassigned. I think some store packs are going to refresh today. I still have not opened my second 10 coin pack. This could refresh, but also the player pick, right? Those trade-all player picks could refresh. And I think the 500K pack, since I have not opened it, it still shows here for me. But if you open the 500K pack over the weekend, I think Tuesdays would be the days where that refreshes. So that's kind of something to look out for. Again, if they do drop that 25,000 coin League 1 player pick once again, if we can do it five times, that's going to really, really hurt the League 1 Tots card prices again. And again, this is entering day two of, I'm not going to touch these cards. I'm not going to touch them today. What I would tell you is, if there's anybody on the top tier, we're talking about guys like Lacazette, maybe Messi, Ben Yetter, Jonathan David, Verati, Marquinhos, the cards that are over like 200,000 coins, but specifically that you're more rare on top tier ones like Lacazette and Jonathan David, and maybe Nudelmendes as well. If their card prices drop off a ton today, there might be some low points in the late Tuesday night. And we'll talk more about this in tomorrow's video, but late Tuesday night, early Wednesday hours, for an investment as they rise, that kind of happened with Pedri last week. If you look at his graph, his real lowest point was like early Wednesday, late Tuesday night, right? He was 1.5 lows. And then after the guarantee, he went to 1.7 mil. Guys like Valverde were really low last week as well. Eurente was really low last week then. Lewandowski was really low.  Wow, this guy was like 770, and he's down that much. That's crazy. So some of these guys are still overpriced as I look at the team. But with these League 1 Tots cards today, I would say watch them prices drop off a bit more with more content getting released, especially for a guy like Valverde. If we're going to get Aor, that might be a new midfielder that people would be selling Valverde to do the new Aor SBC if he's good enough. So just keep an eye on that side of the market today. It's not investment time yet, but we might be getting close. I'll be looking more for that tomorrow with the guaranteed looking around that time for a lot of the top to middle the top to your cards from League 1 team this season. Now the out-of-packs market is kind of a mixed bag. We looked at a tall, right? And he was down, but other cards are just continuing to go up in price. It's the Serie A specials, right? All of the hype and the buildup is continuing to go. How much is, oh my goodness, how much is Rafeleiao? 400K for Rafeleiao. Some of your Serie A special cards just keep going up in price. I have a couple of these Theo Hernandez team the tournament cards that I picked up for like 260. He is still 300,000 coins. That is up. World Cup hero Rudy Valera was another one that I picked up at like 210 and under. I think he's like 230-ish right now. Yeah, 225, 230. So a lot of those cards still rising and they're probably going to continue to rise. Now, if you have League 1 specials, these are the ones that I would maybe consider start to selling into the hype. Lacazette Winter Wildcards was like 30,000 coins last week. And he is 65,000 coins right now, right? So you're seeing some continual price rises on some of the League 1 special cards. Some of them that are down just kind of depends on the card. But if you have those and you're making a big amount of profit on them, maybe you look to take the cash here in the next day or two as the Cup demand will probably be at its peak. So that's kind of the video for today, guys. It meant for me, it feels like the menu grind is back and it brings a lot of excitement back for me. I don't know if it does for you guys or not. Let me know down below in the comments. I'm excited to get this Tots counter from 58. Like legit, guys, I feel like we might be able to get it to like high 60s this week. I'm hoping to pack 10 team of the season this week. I know I'm going to pack a lot of the low tier guys. I know that's who's popping the most from these upgrade packs. But it gives you good fodder, which you can go craft more SVCs with. And even when you're packing the lower tier blues more often, it just gives you that feeling that the content is better and that you have potential to pack team of the seasons themselves. And even if it's, again, a lot of Klaus, Cabela, Andre, Turibo, and Fofana, at least if you're packing consistent blues, that's a really good fodder. And you feel like maybe you have a chance of hitting a big boy blue, like in a Bope, Messi, Neymar as well. So I'm excited to grind the menus today. We're going to be doing it all on stream. If you're excited for that, look down below in the comments or in the description for the link. But if you did enjoy today's video, drop a thumbs up on it. Comment down below if you have any questions. And of course, subscribe if you are new. Drop by the stream today. Let's pack some blues, guys. It's been Nino for Count. See you guys there. Peace out.


There's a reason that I hope that stars so far in us and brought in us rejoice. Good evening. Thank you for joining us on this very special occasion. I am Kimo Ayun, Provost Market University, and I will be your master of ceremonies for today's special celebration. It is indeed a pleasure to welcome members of the market community and our community friends to this grand occasion as we honor Father Gregory Boyle of the Society of Jesus. I would like to introduce Katherine Robertson, Communication Student Class of 21, to provide our invocation. Let us pause and recall that we are in the Holy Presence of God, in gracious God. You made us all in your image to be brothers and sisters united in love. In you, we are all blessed, worthy, and deserving of life lived to the fullest. Be with us this mission week. We are in the midst of a pandemic. We hope for a future free from disease, inequality, divisiveness, and injustice where the unity and dignity of all people is recognized. Bless Father Boyle and all at homeboy industries who show us that all your children have worth beyond measure. Watch over homeboy industries. Watch over all of us here today and continue to shower your blessings over the market community that we might live as persons for and with others in truly radical kinship. We make this prayer through our Lord who lives in reigns over all people. One God forever and ever. Amen. Thank you for that beautiful prayer. Catherine, it is now my privilege to introduce the 24th president, president of Marquette University, Dr. Michael Lovell. Good evening. Thank you, Provost Ayun, and thank you all for joining us as we begin the conferral and honorary degree on Father Gregory Boyle. It is a pleasure to join you during this year's mission week. Mission week's theme this year is open to hope. Remaining open to hope could be so difficult, especially during adverse circumstances. In Father Gregory Boyle's work with homeboy industries, he represented hope for a new beginning for so many. His work is a testament to the power of hope and the positivity in the face of adversity and uncertainty. As a Catholic Jesuit university, we are called to live as servant leaders to give ourselves to those in need. Father Boyle has done that in much, much more. I look forward to hearing from my colleagues and learning more about Father Boyle's many accomplishments as we move through this evening. With that, I turn it back over to Provost Ayun. To begin the conferring of the honorary degree, I present to you Dr. Jennifer Mani, Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning. President Lovell, I commend to you Reverend Gregory J. Boyle of the Society of Jesus. Gregory J. Boyle of the Society of Jesus has spent his career as an exemplar of cure personalities and bringer of hope. A Jesuit priest, he is the founder of homeboy industries, which is the largest gang intervention, rehabilitation, and reentry program in the world. A native of Los Angeles, from 1986 to 1992, Father Boyle served as pastor of Dolores Mission Church in Boyle Heights, then the poorest Catholic parish in Los Angeles, that also had the highest concentration of gang activity in the city. During his years as pastor, Father Boyle witnessed the devastating impact of gang violence firsthand and took courageous and compassionate action. In 1988, Father Boyle, along with parish and community members, started what eventually would become homeboy industries, whose mission is to provide hope, training, and support to formerly gang involved and previously incarcerated men and women, allowing them to redirect their lives and become contributing members of their community. Homeboy Industries employs and trains former gang members in a wide range of social enterprises and provides critical services to men and women seeking a better life. Homeboy's holistic approach includes therapeutic and educational offerings, practical services like tattoo removal, and work readiness and job training focused social enterprises, serving thousands of men and women each year. The organization offers a path out of the cycles of violence and incarceration and helps people develop the strength and skills to transform their lives and create safer, healthier communities. Father Boyle has received numerous awards and recognitions, most notably the California Peace Prize, the 2017 Latari Medal from the University of Notre Dame, the oldest honor given to American Catholics, and the 2016 James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year Award. In 2014, President Obama named Father Boyle a champion of change. Currently, he serves as a committee member of California Governor Gavin Newsom's Economic and Job Recovery Task Force in response to COVID-19. Father Boyle is the author of the 2010 New York Times bestseller Tattoos on the Heart, The Power of Boneless Compassion. His second book, Barking to the Choir, The Power of Radical Kinship, was published in 2017. Because of his exemplary career as priest, CEO, writer, and entrepreneur, on behalf of our human family, President Lovell, I hereby recommend Reverend Gregory J. Boyle of the Society of Jesus for the Marquette University degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa. Reverend Gregory J. Boyle of the Society of Jesus, by the power vested in me by the State of Wisconsin and the trustees of Marquette University, I confer upon you the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa. Congratulations, Father Boyle. We are so thankful for your work. This concludes our official degree ceremony. We will now listen to the inspiring words of Father Boyle as part of our special Ignite for Mission Week. It is my pleasure to present Father Boyle, advocate for justice and builder of communities, and the newest Marquette alum. Thank you very much. It's indeed an honor to be recognized in this way, and I have a great admiration and love for Marquette. And thank you for this. I sort of feel in solidarity with all the graduates who will receive this at the end of this year, and they too will receive it, and it'll be empty until you finish paying off your tuition.  There's a vision that undergirds all that you do at Marquette, and it's soaked with hope and the risen life. There's a vision of imagining a circle of compassion, and then imagine nobody standing outside that circle. You are sent from Marquette to dismantle the barriers that exclude. Martin Luther King said that what he said of church could be said of your time at Marquette. It's not the place you've come to.  Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul that sings the song without the words and never stops at all. You go to the margins and you are anchored there because that's the only way the margins will get erased is if you stand out at them. Mother Teresa diagnosed the world's ills correctly when she suggested that the problem in the world is that we've just forgotten that we belong to each other. So how do we stand against forgetting that? How do we move out to the margins and stand with the particularity with the poor and the powerless and the voiceless to choose to stand with those whose dignity has been denied and those whose burdens are more than they can bear? Every once in a while you get so privileged to be able to stand with the easily despised and the readily left out. You get to stand with the demonized so that the demonizing will stop and you stand with the disposable so that the day will come when we stop throwing people away. You stand at the margins and you brace yourselves because indeed people will accuse you of wasting your time. But the prophet Jeremiah writes in this place of which you say it is a waste there will be heard again the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness the voices of those who sing. You go to the margins and other voices get heard for you are the only delivery system of hope that makes any sense human beings. And so we return people to themselves at the margins. If I go to the margins to make a difference then it's about me and it can't be about me. But if I go to the margins so that the folks at the margins make me different then it's about us. And that's how hope is engendered.  We choose to be tender as God is tender with us. The God who loves us without measure and without regret. A couple three years ago I buried my 92-year-old mother and she had eight kids and I had buried my father some 25 years earlier and she died the way all of us would like to I think surrounded by our family, our kids, our grandchildren in her own bed, in her own home. And she was sharp as a tack till the very end. In fact in her last year of her life she watched so much MSNBC.  In fact about three weeks before she died she looked at me and she was positively giddy and she said I've never done this before which is something you might say just before skydiving. In fact the day before she died I happened to be alone in her room and she was asleep. It never happened that I was there alone and she woke up from her nap and she saw me there and she said oh for crying out loud and she went back to sleep well she was pissed off that she hadn't died yet. Sorry but the next day again as luck would have it I was there all by myself at the foot of her bed and she was asleep and at exactly noon she lifted her head and she opened her eyes and she let out this wondrous glorious gasp and she left us skydiving and no one in earshot of that sound would ever be afraid of death again but in the last weeks of her life there'd be two of us or five of us or all eight of my siblings her kids and she'd be in and out of consciousness and when she would come to she would lock on to one of us and she would say with breathless delight you're here, you're here and all people at the margins want is for you to look them in the eye and to say you're here, you're here. The homies at homeboy industries often say that they're used to that they're used to being watched but they're not used to being seen and so you try to see each other which is how hope gets transmitted there's a Buddhist saying oh nobly born remember who you really are and you want people to inhabit that truth to become that truth and then as you look in people's eyes and say you're here everybody inhabits their mutual dignity and nobility you see each other and people are filled with hope in an exquisitely mutual way. Every gang member man and woman who walks through our doors at homeboy comes barricaded behind a wall of shame and disgrace and the only thing that can scale that wall is tenderness which is the methodology of hope it is how we deliver it every gang member who walks through our doors at homeboy industries comes with a disorganized attachment mom was either frightened or frightening and you can't calm yourself down if you've never been soothed if it's true enough that the traumatized are more likely to cause trauma it's equally true that the cherished will be able to find their way to the joy there is in cherishing themselves and others and so we see each other and Marquette is not the place you've come to it will always be the place you go from and you go from there to take seriously what Jesus took seriously which lucky for us are only four things they're big things but only four inclusion non-violence unconditional loving kindness and compassionate acceptance we choose to be in the world who god is tender we notice the notice of god and then we choose to be in the world who god is compassionate loving and kind at homeboy industries we're kind of allergic to the notion of holding the bar up and asking gang members to measure up instead we hold the mirror up and we seek to return people to themselves to their goodness which is unshakable but you have to dismantle the messages of shame and disgrace that have bombarded their lives there's an odd line in the acts of the apostles and it says simply and all came upon everyone and it suggests that the measure of our health in any community at all may well reside in our ability to stand in awe at what the poor have to carry rather than stand in judgment at how they carry it a number of years ago I was invited to speak to 600 social workers in Richmond Virginia and it was one of those in-service days from nine to five in social workers commandeer a hotel ballroom and they each get credit for workshops and breakout sessions and keynotes so I've done a lot of these and I figured you know I they were inviting me to do a keynote and then I so I bought my ticket but a week before I was to fly I pulled out the original letter inviting me and to my horror I discovered that I was to be the only speaker from nine to five all damn day and I told myself what the homies often say oh hell no I am not going to be the only speaker so I pulled two homies one of our of trainees in our 18 month training program Andre and Jose they were from enemy gangs and they were in their like their ninth month of their 18 months with us and I sat them down and I said look at the end of the week you're flying with me to Richmond Virginia I'd like you to get up and tell your stories take your time because we got a long ass day to fill well I'd never heard their stories and Jose gets up first and he's like 25 years old at the time a gang member been to prison um tattooed uh at that juncture in his time with us he had become a very valued member of our substance abuse team a man solid in his own recovery and now he's helping younger homies and homegirls with their addiction issues so not only had he been in prison but he also had a stretch as a homeless man and an even longer stretch as a heroin addict and so uh he starts and he looks at this group of 600 social workers and he says I guess you can say my mom and me we didn't get along so good I think I was six when my mom looked at me and said why don't you just kill yourself you're such a burden to me well 600 social workers audibly gas and he says it sounds way worser in Spanish and we got whiplash going from gas to laugh and then he continued I think I was nine when my mom drove me down to the deepest part of Baja California and she walks me up to an orphanage and she knocks on the door and the guy comes and the guy comes to the door and she says I found this kid and she left me there for 90 days until my grandmother could get out of her where she had dumped me and my grandmother rescued me my mom beat me every single day with of my elementary school years with things you could imagine and a lot of things you couldn't every day my back was bloodied and scarred in fact I had to wear three t-shirts to school each day first t-shirt because the blood would seep through and second t-shirt you could still see it finally the third t-shirt you couldn't see any blood but kids at school they'd make fun of me a fool it's 100 degrees why you're wearing three t-shirts and then he stopped speaking so overwhelmed with emotion and he seemed to be staring at a piece of his story that only he could see and when he could regain his speech he said through his tears I wore three t-shirts well into my adult years because I was ashamed of my wounds I didn't want anybody to see him but now I welcome my wounds I run my fingers over my scars my wounds are my friends after all how can I help heal the wounded if I don't welcome my own wounds and awe came upon everyone the measure of our compassion lies not in our service of those on the margins but only in our willingness to see ourselves in kinship with them for the truth of the matter is this if we don't welcome our own wounds we may well be tempted to despise the wounded we don't go to the margins to make a difference we go to the margins so that the folks there make us different god says in the covenant as I have loved you so must you have a special preferential care and love for the widow orphan and the stranger and these are the folks who when those words were written society saw as those who they could live without they were the folks cut off and marquette is not the place you've come to it's the place you go from to repair severed belonging to foster and nurture a community of beloved belonging to imagine a circle of compassion and then imagine nobody standing outside that circle homeboy industries was born a long time ago in 1988 when I was pastor of the poorest parish in the city highest concentration of gang activity in the world eight gangs in the two housing projects which made up my parish all at war with each other I buried my first young person killed because of the sadness in 1988 and tomorrow I will bury my 240th a young man named Anthony Fierros who I've known for a long time so we did a lot of things we started a jobs program and a school and then we started social enterprises and nobody intends to do such a thing but we backed our way now into becoming the largest gang intervention rehab re-entry program on the planet 15,000 folks a year wander through our doors and we try to see them we try to welcome them so that they can feel safe and then our concern is not surviving as the fittest but thriving as the nurtured and pretty soon homeboy becomes a sanctuary and before too long they themselves become the sanctuary that they sought and then they go home and they present that sanctuary to their kids and suddenly you've broken a cycle our program doesn't exist for those who need help it's only for those who want it and in the old days I would ride my bike through the housing projects kind of patrolling the eight gangs and I remember one night very very late probably near midnight I was straddling my beach cruiser bike and I was talking to some homies in the darkness in this overhang in the projects and I could look in the parking lot and I saw this guy we all called Bandit and Bandit was running up to cars and he was selling crack cocaine and then he was counting his money as he walked back to where the group was he didn't know I had arrived in the meantime and I wish I could say he was overly embarrassed that I was there but not so much he was kind and gentle but he turned down every offer I ever gave him to redirect his life until one day he walked into homeboy industries I couldn't believe my eyes and I said he is a miracle that you've walked in here and he said I'm tired of being tired and so he began in our 18 month training program he had a case manager and a therapist he went to anger management class he got his tattoos removed he started to learn how to transform his pain so he didn't have to transmit it anymore and then he found his true self and loving which is the point and so one of our job developers found him a seamless job after his 18 months with us it was a low pay entry level warehouse kind of job but after five years he was you know the floor manager and years later he was promoted even further and I hadn't heard from him in a long time and no news is good news and but one Friday afternoon he calls me kind of in a panic and and he says gee you've got to bless my daughter and I said get my soul because she's sick is she in the hospital oh no no on Sunday she's going to Humboldt College imagine my my oldest my Jessica she's only 18 and she's a tiny chaparitan well Humboldt's far it's way up north and I don't know we're scared do you think you could give her a blessing before she goes and I said sure tomorrow is Saturday and I have baptisms at one and once you guys show up at 12 30 we'll do a little send-off and Bandit was married and had three kids and the whole family shows up at exactly 12 30 and so I say well let's put Jessica in in front of the altar and let's surround her with our bodies and everybody touch her and everybody put your hands on her shoulder go ahead put your hands on her head and and I tell them to bow their heads and to close their eyes and as the homies say I do a long-ass prayer you know I go on and on and and somewhere in the middle of this prayer I noticed that we've all become chi on this we're all crying and I don't know why we're crying except for the fact that Bandit and his wife do not know anybody who's ever gone to college except me certainly nobody in their families and so you know we wipe our eyes and we laugh about how mushy we got and to change the subject I look at little Jessica and and I said hey what are you gonna study at Humboldt College and she was very quick forensic psychology and I go damn forensic psychology and Bandit times that yeah she wants to study the criminal mind and Jessica turns and looks at her father and very deadpan does one of these you know and and Bandit's easier and laughs and says yeah I'm gonna be her first subject and so we go out to the parking lot and big up with ourselves and everybody piles into the car but Bandit hangs back and I'm glad he has and I look at him and I say can I tell you something I give you credit for the man you've chosen to become for choosing to walk in your own footsteps I'm proud of you and his eyes well up with tears and he says, you know what I'm proud of myself all my life people called me a low life a bueno a good for nothing I guess I showed him I said yeah I guess you did oh nobly born remember who you really are the christmas carol says long lay the world in sin and error pining till he appeared and the soul felt its worth and yet it's about jesus and yet it's about christmas but how is it not the job description of every graduate of marquette university you appear and the soul feels its worth we see people at the margins and we all inhabit our nobility and dignity we look each other in the eye and we say you're here you're here and the soul feels its worth marquette is not the place you've come to it was always going to be the place you go from and you go from here to sing the song without the words and to never stop at all you are the only delivery system of hope that makes any sense in our world people who choose to be the notice of god and you brace yourselves and pretty soon you cease to care if anyone accuses you of wasting your time at the margins for in this place of which you say it is a waste there will be heard again the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness the voices of those who sing thank you very much other boil it is an incredible honor to have got to hear you speak this evening we welcome you to the chapel holy family here um are you willing to do is a little bit of q&a now to kind of hear some absolutely awesome does anyone want to get started Rachel uh i'm going to relay it to father boil the other one spoke a lot about what they like homies and homegirls and very spoke focused on one with the homies and homegirls which is a very core value of certain leadership which is obviously a very big part of marquette and um i do it with the values of the whole i was just wondering how um the idea of serving leadership plays into your role in not a homeboy industry and i couldn't hear any of that i can relate it to you so um um rachel kind of just mentioned that um a huge um aspect of b&m marquette is um servant leadership and she just wanted to hear like how that kind of played out in starting homeboy industries and how it plays out in your every day every day to day life that's an excellent question i i think uh you know you don't go to the margins to save rescue or fix people you don't go to the margins to to somehow alter things for them you go there to be altered and you know i think a lot of times that this sort of is the flip side of the burnout question because people will always uh you know so even workers at homeboy senior staff sometimes will say i guess i'm just too compassionate because i'm i'm just feeling sort of burned out and you know i always gently tell them that i i think they feel that way because they've been doing it incorrectly that if you go to the margins to save and fix people then you will be depleted but if you go to the margins to delight in people it is eternally replenishing so it's the leadership that doesn't uh try to save the day but just kind of receive people many years ago when i studied theology at western school of theology we were able to take courses at harvard and i had a class on ministry a team taught by henry nowan and parker palmer so it was kind of high powered and i remember some woman asked henry nowan uh you know what is ministry anyway and he was kind of frustrated and he said can you receive people and and that's always stuck with me was the only thing i remember from that class but it also reminds me of a there was a guy uh in houston i was giving a talk and uh and it was a young guy came up to me after uh the talk and he was a gang member tattooed uh had been in prison but now he was working in the streets of houston trying to uh kind of what do what we call hardcore gang intervention worker and he was very frustrated and he kind of pleaded with me with uh he was very earnest and he said how do you reach them meaning gang members and and i found myself saying to him for starters stop trying to reach them can you be reached by them and i think it's counterintuitive but i think that's what leadership is all about can you receive people can you be reached by people can you go to the margins and allow your heart to be altered uh so it's the opposite of things awesome thank you very much father boil um does anyone else have a question hope you want it okay we can do you ask awesome um i don't know if you heard that um but um she asked um did you ever have any story or experience that you would want anyone that you come across to know well yeah i've written two books of stories that i would want you know maybe people to know and and i just turned in my third book to my editor so um yeah i i don't know i mean they're all in the in the early days you know because the demonizing was writ large and at homeboy industries you know the first 10 years of our 33 years were marked by death threats bomb threats and hate mail never from gang members but from people who had demonized gang members and it was a short hop to demonize me for helping them and so in the early days stories kind of shook my fist you know and and they were kind of they were more frustrating and frustrated and i was always trying to put a human face on a on a person who had been demonized in our society you know it's probably not so much like that now now it's more just uh kind of delighting in people being uh so extraordinary and the day won't ever come when i have more courage or i am more noble or i am closer to god than the thousands and thousands of men and women uh you know i've been privileged to know so uh i guess i i tell stories that i want to reveal their hearts so that people can say oh yeah we belong to each other the great john lewis said we all live in the same house and and he doesn't say even though some people live on the third floor and others in the basement he says we all live in the same house he doesn't it's not an aspiration he doesn't say one day we might all live in the same house no he says it straight out we all live in the same house and it's a statement of fact waiting for us to recognize and to realize and uh once we realize it we will become it we will inhabit it it it'll become our truth um and the problem is we've forgotten that we belong to each other and if that's the problem then the solution is reminding each other awesome next question awesome so she asked um what are ways she can show tenderness of the heart um during these times of during just these current times and uh claire was it yeah she also mentioned that she read your book uh one of your books tattoos on the heart and she said it was really amazing so yeah i mean these are obviously challenging times uh so you know i never zoomed until uh the pandemic every tuesday night i have uh kind of i suppose you might call it a bible study with all these homies and it's when i signed off last night i i thought wow we've been doing this now for 11 months every tuesday night and uh and we're always moved to tears at people sharing their lives and their stories and their faith and and uh gang members who uh honest to god you know if their stories had been flames you'd have to keep your distance otherwise you'd get scorched and and that never would have happened without the pandemic i mean it's been in fact i i dedicate my third book to the to my tuesday night group it's it's kind of uh an extraordinary thing but texting i'm the mad texture now and even homies you know email which never happened before but like i have all these homies i call my dearly deported who are who have spent a time in prison and but weren't born here so they get deported and i got an email in the early part of the when we were all talking about ppe you know and and he just big huge block letters he said we are your mask and that was it and i knew exactly what he meant it was his way of holding his way of carino and tenderness it was his small gesture there are all these box cars of tenderness that you have to that they're they're gestures so if you know you know love is the answer uh and community is the context but tenderness is the methodology and if love doesn't become tender it just stays in the air or in your head or in your heart but tender is when it becomes connective tissue it's the thing that joins and uh so you have to be attentive to it uh because if you get distracted then your kindness gets forgotten and and you don't want to forget your kindness and so we're distracted only all the time and so you want to safeguard your attention so you can be absolutely tender with the person in front of you a homie named yeti who's from on duras and a gang member and and uh he told me the other day and here we're in the pandemic so we're we're masks we're at a distance we're constantly uh wiping everything down but the mayor considers us an essential organization so we've never closed and uh and he joined us during the pandemic so I always think maybe people didn't get the full blown cultural thing of homeboy like and you know and before the pandemic it's constant hugs and morning meeting and everybody at the camaraderie is is thick but he said to me sometimes I feel indifferent which seemed like a very odd word for him to say he says but whenever I do I think of this place and I feel passionate which is also an odd word to use and you blink and you miss it and you don't want to miss it you don't want to be distracted by anything you want to be attentive enough to in every moment be anchored in the present moment so that you can find your true self and loving and that's the whole nine yards you know my joy yours your joy complete as Jesus says and and that's where you find it see one question gets a long ass answer so maybe we just need two more awesome does anyone want to go next okay so um she asked at what point in your life did you um reflect slash consider your vocation to the priesthood and the society of Jesus well I think priesthood was sort of an afterthought I mean I uh Jesuit was what I felt drawn to I was taught by the Jesuits this was during the Vietnam War and and uh and all the Jesuits uh who taught me were were had these two things that I admired they were prophetic and they were hilarious and for me that was kind of a good combo burger I I love both of those things and you know so people like Daniel Berrigan and and uh and then all the Jesuits I knew and you could never do this nowadays but it was like you know forget parent permission slips we didn't have cell phones I mean you I can't even believe we did stuff like this but we'd hop in a van a whole bunch of us with a Jesuits and and we'd drive up for the day to San Francisco to the largest anti-war rally in the country and not sleep a wink and drive home afterwards and there was a kind of like you'd call your parents from a payphone hey we're driving to San Francisco to this march and okay be safe okay see when you get home I mean that would never happen today I mean are you kidding me and yet it was wild and and uh it just galvanized a kind of a spirit of living the truth as if it were true and putting first things recognizably first and it was a way of living the marrow of the gospel which was very attractive to me and so I looked at these Jesuits and I said I'll have what they're having but uh you know priesthood was so secondary oh I guess oh yeah so I guess priesthood yeah that'll happen 13 years into this but but it was primarily wanting to be a Jesuit and uh so next year it'll be 50 years and uh I wouldn't trade my life for anybody's amazing amazing I'd be on words with um this excellent night that we've had um so that concludes questions and um Father Boyle I just want you to know that on behalf of the students here at Marquette um I welcome you to the Marquette community um you make our community stronger and I'd also like to uh throw a quick shout out to um and our greetings to all the people at Homeboy Industries um and just thank you um thank you for your time ministry and witness and I think we should all give them a great round of applause thank you thank you very much awesome it's been a pleasure so um that kind of concludes the whole uh talking portion of this um we are now going to move into our worship part of tonight uh with it being ignite um so Ashley can come up and join us and get us started okay so this next portion of our night we're going to transition into a little bit of musical worship so I'm going to plug in my phone and we'll play some music for everyone this isn't going to concern you guys exactly but for us in the room here please I encourage you to engage with the worship in whatever way you like pray on it meditate over it just sit back and enjoy and relax but we ask that you don't sing and that doesn't concern you guys but so yeah if you guys just want to join me I'm glad before you get started I think you're looking bright each and every one of you I think you've got a work that's on your eyes and the mission that you've put on has worked I think you've learned through your grace and as you sustain this you've kind of been going through this time may pray that you open up but it reminds me of my heart first you know me first awesome uh could you go through this to actualize there okay because you yeah if you keep on through this isn't me a few lyric lines can I go through like all of these yeah awesome now we're going to move on to announcements guys um our first announcement for you guys is that there's going to be a prayer service for national unity um that is next Thursday I'm at 8 30 p.m. here in the chapel or family um it is being sponsored by campus ministry and also the college republicans and college democrats um student organizations on campus it is an excellent opportunity to pray together for greater national unity and a shared commitment to the common good of all people um and then another announcement on that next slide um is ash ones oh next week's topic is ash Wednesday prayer service um with ash distribution so um be sure to sign up on the campus ministry um social media platforms the website um during the ignite time this week in the chapel or family will be hosting our own ash distribution so come get ashes sprinkled on your forehead or on the top of your head this year because of covid um so yeah that is next week and then i'm gonna hit next and before i uh so send you guys off um i first wanted to say thank you to all of our online viewers that we have had tonight um it's been a thrill having all of you join us tonight um and then also for everyone else be sure to check out the rest of our mission week um events going on with um throughout the rest of the week and also with the conclusion of mission week at the 6 p.m. mass at the church of the jesu um and yeah we'll see you guys next week um please wait in your seat um rob will come around and dismiss you guys um for everyone here in the chapel or family so on your way out if you see someone you could always um strike up a quick conversation um about that wonderful talk that we had from father boil tonight so ignite out


Hi to our global audience on live stream. If you'd like to share today, don't forget hashtag WEF23. Also, we'll have a Q&A session at the end of this panel. So you can all join in, of course. Just grab me. I'll have someone bring around a microphone for you. Of course, we're here today not to talk about the stigma, discrimination, and repression that queer people continue to face around the world. We're here to talk about the success stories. So the best practice. Some great examples from around the world and how to implement this type of thinking and give people like me the opportunity to work in a safe workplace. When I jump on a flight anywhere around the world as a journalist in my work capacity or private life, I have to brief my boyfriend. Tell him not to hold my hand. To particular countries, there are things that you have to think about that other couples may never have thought about in their lives. But again, we're here to talk about the positives and the progression that we're making to give you an idea of how you can make a difference as well in your company, for your workforce, for yourselves, how you can change lives, and change the world to a certain extent. So let me introduce you to our panelists, studying at the far right for you. Fahad Jamaladdin, global shaper from Lebanon. Seracad Ellis from GLAAD. Turana Hassan from Human Rights Watch. And Sharon Marcel from BCG Boston Consulting Group. Let me start with Turana. Could you tell us about the progression that is being made around the world to give people an overview, first of all? Sure. I mean, if we want to look at the long arc of history, we have made some significant progress. In 2008, Human Rights Watch did a report looking at the colonial origins of sodomy laws around the world. And back then, we had identified 80 countries which had very repressive laws on the books. And now we find ourselves at a point where that's down to 70, which is some level of progress. And in the last year, even, we've seen that there have been some very practical steps that have been taken. Singapore is one of the most recent examples that is decriminalized. It's actually taken the legislation off the books. But at the same time, Singapore fortified the rules around same-sex marriage. And so it's not always a winner. And they did that because they were playing to the more conservative base, which was agreeing to decriminalization, but still wanted to embrace the more conservative parts of the country's population. We've also seen progress in the Caribbean. We had three countries across the Caribbean who all have decriminalized and taken steps for decriminalization. What I would say in relation to these steps is that the democratic institutions, like the courts, countries where they function, are fundamentally important to actually bring about the change that we need to see, to deliver on structural long-term change. And I think across the world, we still see that same-sex activity is outlawed in 67 countries. So that just indicates to us that this is not a fight that is over. We still need to be vigilant and continue to progress. One thing I want to talk about in terms of just the climate that we're in, there is progress. There is good news in this. However, we do need to be very careful that here we are at a point in time where LGBT rights, marriage equality laws, all of these issues are actually becoming signs of modernity. They are becoming signs of democracies and countries which respect rights for everyone. But we're seeing also that this has become a new battleground. And in particular, this isn't something that happens in certain parts of the world and not others. Even in Europe, we see Hungary in particular and Poland, who have really been using LGBT rights as a battleground, essentially to try and harness the support of the conservative elements of society. And the government using it to put themselves up as some sort of hero, protector of family values and rights. And that is not only divisive, it also encourages, it has been known to be linked to increased acts of violence and discrimination. Can I just ask, when you say the courts are so vital, a lot of lawyers are very liberal thinking. Am I wrong in that case, in many countries, is it a case that you have very conservative courts where the change needs to come from politicians, first of all, or from the people? Absolutely. I mean, I think that it's not one solution for each. But I think what we have seen is that, you know, all over the world, you can challenge the constitutional basis. We have international law, for example, and that's been one of the great progressions over time, as we've seen LGBTQI rights actually emerge in bodies of international law. So we've been able to use these, and where countries have signed on to their commitments, be able to actually challenge repressive laws that are on the books within constitutional courts or supreme courts. So, you know, there are certainly some courts which are less free, but I think that as we develop domestic bodies of law and international law, we're going to be able to utilise that to be able to see long-term structural change. Fad, could I ask you about lessons learned from Lebanon? Sure. I think, first, I want to share more awareness. I think it's very important as an Arab to be on this panel, primarily because the narrative has been always been different.  We've been portrayed in a way that has been always based on Islamic homophobia and really different values. But I think the narrative of queer Arabs is changing. Definitely it's changing. And one of the main reasons why it's changing because I think the literature, a lot of people are writing, a lot of people are sharing. I think in the Arab region as well, we have new media outlets through technology that is also providing more platform for different people to share their authentic voices. But I think it's very important not to whitewash. I think there is a huge reality in the region that we should not escape from, although a lot of countries are really progressing very fast and without naming these countries. But until now, these countries unfortunately criminalize the people who identify as LGBT. And I think it's also very interesting to see how some global reports talk about that this country is the safest country, one of the safest countries in the world. However, people who identify as LGBT can have a death penalty. So I think it's very important to be very realistic and also at the same time, speak about the good things that are happening when you're talking about the legal aspect and the whole court system. I think in 2018 in Lebanon, although we criminalize within the system, we've seen brilliant judges who have went through loopholes within the system and made sure that people are safe. It's sad that we have to use loopholes. Yeah, it's very sad. If that's the way we have to take them, sure. What is bringing about change then? You said there is change in the Middle East. What's sparking that? I think I would definitely would say the youth and the younger generation. Because the younger generation is not anymore structured within specific circumstances. They have the tools, they have the means. They are creating spaces for themselves to claim that they are here. But unfortunately, I mean, it's very complex. I would say it's within even our region. Because every time you say something that's positive, there are so many things that are negative. Even when these youth are claiming their spaces, there's so much efforts from extremist religious groups, from different people to try to shut down these spaces. But I think the voices of the people and specifically the voices of the youth will continue to be there. And I think we'll always have more microphones and megaphones for at least like this platform, I would say. Well, Sarah Kate, that brings me to you. Is there, if there is public resistance, is there some sort of private incentive for companies to bring about change? Well, thank you for asking that. Because I do think corporations have played a big role and can continue to play a bigger role and need to, honestly. And it's being demanded by this next generation as well. So if you're in a CEO position, this next generation expects you to speak up and speak on these. Now, as you mentioned, it's very, we've been so politicized as LGBTQ people that it's in the ether, it's in the culture. And so where corporates used to speak out and speak up, I'm just speaking from what I'm hearing here during this conference, which is they're nervous about speaking out. And so what I've been talking to them about is how can we use quiet diplomacy? There are so many things that you can do behind the scenes to advance safety for the LGBTQ community that can be done without being out in the media. That is a really important part too. I don't wanna diminish that. And it's critical, especially because as it gets polarized, that's a way to fight back, is to be public. And I do think that corporates behind the scenes have been using that. In the United States, a lot of times, when you were saying, like, we're seeing, I think we're 18 days into the new year and we've seen over 100 anti-LGBTQ bills proposed already in the United States. 100, last year, there was more than 300 anti-LGBTQ bills. Most of them are targeting trans youth, which is a tactic. They have the smallest amount of share of voice, so we have to be speaking up and out for them. So my point in that is that we've worked with a lot of corporates behind the scenes to call in those states to say, I'm gonna pull business, I need safe places for my employees. And we've also seen employees in countries where it is illegal, use their space almost as an embassy, if you will, as a safe space in there. And those are tougher for sure, and they're nuanced. And I've spoken with CEOs who have made the calls themselves to LGBTQ employees in those spaces, in places, to say, here's how we're gonna do this. What do you need? So it can get very personal at a level. Sharon, you have 30,000 employees at BCG. What sort of change have you seen by introducing or supporting the community? Sure, so I run North America, so I'll come with, particularly, a North American perspective. But I think, look, as you said, there is an expectation. We have a lot of, I call them less tenured employees, but younger employees, and there's a real expectation of this generation that we speak out. So we do speak out, and it's not just in reaction to things, it's proactively, which is really important. Showing up, showing up in forums like this is super important, contributing, intellectual property is also critical. So I think there's an increased expectation of our employees overall, and certainly of the next generation in terms of what we do. Maybe I can offer just a few examples from BCG. Look, and I wanna put out there first. We are not perfect. There's a lot of room for improvement, but maybe. So we've been on this journey a long time. And by a long time, I would say 25 years and supporting the community. So back in 1998, we launched our, we call it the Pride Network. We launched our first Pride Network in many markets. But today, we actually have a Pride Network. Over a thousand employees actively contributing to the Pride Network, and it's in 45 countries around the world, which I think is terrific. Another example, from many years ago, 30 years ago, we had domestic partner benefits. And we've continued to build on this inclusiveness, and just this year, we offered two new benefits. One, an enhancement on gender, from in care. And secondly, an enhancement in terms of inclusiveness in fertility. So we continue to explore every year. We continue to learn and try to improve. But here's the truth, there's a war for talent. Everyone talks about the war for talent. There's a war for talent, and we have to be the best place to work for this community so they come, and they stay, and they can be their best selves. So just explain a Pride Network. We recently set one up at Deutsche Welle as well. It's a fantastic opportunity. I know how to benefit from it, but how do employees benefit from it? I think it's a source. I mean, it can be a source of many things. It can be a source of support, information, navigation, how to build mentorship. It can just be a practical source of, you know, what should I work on? How do I, how do I build my career to be a senior person in this company? But it's a network that really, whether it's at the New York level, or the North American level, or the Mid-Atlantic level, I mean, it's a network that really, 1,000 members, but then we have three times, four times that many allies, active allies. Not people who are just allies, but active allies. So it's very important. Sarah, back to you. How do you then broach this public-private relationship and the dialogue? Yeah, I mean, I really encourage this forum this week is about collaboration, and I always say, don't go out alone. Utilize your civil society partners, and establish those partnerships. And especially in spaces where it's illegal. We are all connected in the LGBTQ community, so we would help you find the right people on the ground to advise you in that culture. It's really important that you're acting within the culture that you're in and you're speaking within the culture that you are. But, and I think it's what you mentioned about getting ahead of it, instead of coming behind it. And understanding the cultural landscape and playing out from a PR standpoint, what's going to, could happen or not happen. But you have to do it because it's demanded now and it's expected. And I think it's, you know, also I just wanted to make a mention as we're talking about examples. I worked with WEF and we had this project called the Lighthouses, which is online. And we ended up choosing eight best practice, business best practices of DEI and how to integrate that into companies all over the world. So we looked at tons of submissions and then we looked at the ways, we had really strict criteria for looking at how this made societal change. Not only made the company better, but made societal change. And so those are a great place when you're looking for how do I bring this to my company? Those are best practices that are available through the WEF that a group of us worked really hard and selecting and we're submitted by corporations. So basically a company doesn't have to go it alone? Don't go, please don't go it alone. I mean, I think that's when you find, if you see missteps that are blown up in the press, that company nine out of 10 times or 10 out of 10 times went it alone and didn't speak to the community that it's representing and what would be best for the community? Because sometimes we actually don't want you to speak out. There's quiet diplomacy going on behind the scenes, public pressure actually could backfire. So you have to understand what's at stake and what's happening in order to really make a move properly. What about the next frontier in the Middle East? How is this going to progress? Do you think? I think the context is very challenging. And also, I mean, speaking from Lebanon, the challenging thing is really the culture. I think this is the first thing that we need to think of rather than the policy. Because we've seen a lot within Lebanon, we have, I think we're one of the most highest inflation rate across the world in 2022, the economic crisis, the Beirut blast. 200 people died, we have no justice until now. So when you talk about this to the people, they would say, what are you talking about? There's more other priority areas. And I think this is a huge challenge. How to shift this narrative, that it's not about polarization and what's the best priority now? And I think this is not only in Lebanon and globally. Today we're seeing a huge revolution on climate and climate change because this is an existential crisis, right? But I think the topic we are speaking about now today is also an existential crisis. There are so many people that are fighting to live that are thinking if they should speak up or not. Millions of students in the schools not feeling safe. I mean, I think also we need to leverage and create more tools that would help shift the narrative, shift the culture and I think this is the entry point. Tirana, how do you convince people that this is a basic human right? Yeah, I mean, I think that actually it's the LGBT community as a whole who's actually led this fight, you know. But we've been talking about what are the solutions and it's not just a legal fight. It's not the realisation of these rights isn't going to just come from the creation of strong laws and challenges in the courts. It also is about changing societal opinion. It's about challenging discriminatory views. It's about making sure that people are seen in the mainstream media in day-to-day life. And I think that's another opportunity where we have the corporate world to play a really important role. It's in the, as one of our colleagues said in another forum that we were in the other day, the hearts and minds part of this. And that is to make LGBT people, the community, visible when you are talking about your product, you know, visible in your imagery. You know, we can make sure that your products are centred towards them. And so I think that that is an important part of it. And I also want to talk a little bit around what corporates can do in terms of actually making sure your products are safe. I mean, I'm thinking about the Middle East and actually there's a really interesting developments that were taken, for example, by Grindr, who actually then developed and made amendments to the app so that photos could be recalled, that there were extra security that... This is a dating app. This is a dating app, sorry.  And, you know, we should just point out that, you know, there are currently... It's not just the rights of the community that are under assault. There is a very dangerous law on the books at the moment. It's, I believe it's a private member's bill in Ghana that is particularly problematic, where it's going to make it pretty much impossible to talk about being gay, lesbian, or even to advocate on these issues. And actually part of the danger of this legislation is that it could also hold social media platforms responsible for disseminating information. So, you know, we need to make sure that, in this instance, that we have the platforms that are, you know, telling these stories, that are disseminating information. This is a really important point in time where we expect... Where it would be helpful for the corporations in that space to be able to stand up, to be able to articulate public positions to the government. Sharon, how do you juggle being in so many countries and having to have so many policies when it comes to LGBTQI plus rights? Well, I mean, one consistent policy we have is we support our people. So no matter where we are working, whether we're working in India or Singapore, or, you know, we have a common purpose and a common set of principles where we support... We believe in a common set of things across BCG and we support our people, including especially our pride community. And in fact, you know, my dear friend and head of Asia, Niraj, you know, almost as... I don't want to say more, but he's almost more vocal than me, because, you know, it's a voice that needs to be heard, you know, in parts of the world that he's in charge of. And so, you know, of course, how we interact with the government, how we interact, you know, in terms of what we can say, what is going to be different, we have more latitude in some place like the United States or Canada, but Mexico, which, you know, we have the same benefits in Mexico that we do in the U.S. So we support our people equally, although what we can do externally is different. And just let me know what sparked the movement back 25 years ago at your company.  You know, I don't know why. I don't know why. I joined BCG from Goldman Sachs. It was a different, open, inclusive culture. You know, maybe it was our founder, Bruce Henderson, but it just was, and it is, you know? I didn't create it, but I benefited from it. Yeah, wonderful, wonderful. But still, I mean, still many of our people from diverse backgrounds still struggle to show up as their best selves. So there's still a lot more work we need to do. What else can we give our audience? Well, I was going to say a really good model to look at is in the United States how we did marriage equality, because that's a right, right, that we were fighting for. But what moved people was the emotional part about it. It's like, when we stopped talking about it as a right and we started talking about it as love, it completely shifted the conversation and the public opinion on it. But also, it was a coming together of everyone to get that done, you know? And it started with a few, and then more and more and more came on. And so as someone who, I'm glad, we worked with Grindr on that, and we work with a lot of the dating apps to make sure they're safe spaces globally. Visibility is the key here because rights, visibility, I always say, lays the groundwork to move rights forward. And until you build acceptance, until you're safe just walking down the street being who you are, it doesn't matter whether or not you have rights. It does, and we need to move that forward. And the way that we move that forward is by people knowing who we are and in places where it's illegal and punishable by death. You can't do that. That is a real risk, a serious risk. So how can we infiltrate or work with media, corporations who put information out to get the word out, to bring visibility? Because if you don't know who we are, then usually you're fearful of what you don't know. But once you meet someone or you see somebody, and so that's something that we're combating in the US is that only 16% of US people say that they know someone who's transgender. So who's making up the gap in education, media? And right now, because that community is being so targeted and that the media is picking up those stories, it's really sending the wrong message about who those folks are. So I think that there are other ways that corporates can play a role in this that might be different, especially in countries where it's illegal. Lucas, I'll get you to bring around the microphone for a moment and we'll open up the Q&A. But is there anything else you guys would like to highlight before we go to questions? I think I just wanna highlight something that's very important, which is when we are talking about queer struggle, it's important to connect it within the context as you have already said. And I think the queer struggle, at least in the country that I come from and the region that I come from is also connected to the Palestinian struggle. It's also connected to a lot of struggles, the migrant workers, the women. So it's very important to take it as a whole and not only focus on just one piece out of it because I think we would miss a lot of steps. Is there anyone with a question in the audience that would like to ask our panelists something at the back? Hi, I run a large media company and I would just like for you to unpack a little bit more what media specifically can do is specifically news media because it's a blanket statement and I'm very interested in finding out what it is that can happen. Yeah, I think it is, so it's really important right now in the context of the community for education and telling the story. So news media can do many things. It can highlight and profile LGBTQ people that bring to the forefront the struggles that we're facing and put a face to what that struggle looks like. So interviewing a family who might have a trans child, I don't think putting trans kids in front of the camera is the right thing to do. I think putting the family members and caretakers of those folks in front of the camera and telling their stories so that people can relate and understand who they are, raising awareness around using your platform to raise awareness on the 67 countries that it's still illegal and the ones that are punishable by death that folks just for being who you are, you could be killed and normalizing LGBTQ folks, including us in all stories. So that's the other piece that I think is really important and we've worked really closely with Hollywood on this. It's not just centering the story on us, but it's we're everywhere, right? We're at your workplace, we're in your families, we're at your laundry mat, we're at your grocers, we're everywhere. So why aren't we everywhere in the stories being told? And I think bringing our perspective and us as people into just everyday stories and putting that lens on it is a great place to start too.  Yes. Showing that this is a normal person. What about in education as well, a completely different kettle of fish? I know my sister has received praise from her, my sister has received praise from one family where she was really responsible for ensuring that the classroom was supportive of a trans child. And it was a real struggle for this kid, but primary school, so from grade one to grade seven in Australia, was a breeze for this kid because of what the teacher did. What should it be? May I just say one thing on that, because that is a battleground that we're facing in the United States right now. It is, it's really tough, I'll be honest with you. There's, they're putting it under parental rights. I'm a parent, I'm married to a woman and I have two kids. So they're talking about some parental rights and they're excluding us and they're targeting us and they're banning books at a rate that we've never seen before. And I think it is, and they're conflating these conversations about bodily autonomy and trans youth. And it's a really tough moment right now in education in the United States and I'm absolutely sure it's being exported globally. This kind of framework that they've come up with that's been really effective over the past year and they're legislating against it as well. Teorana, can you give us any advice for that sector? I mean, well I think that actually it's not so much just about the education sector, it's about keeping track of where the political narrative more broadly is going. So when you start seeing the othering of the community, that's when we need to start mobilizing. That's when you need to start reaching out to elected members. That's when actually all parts of society, not just the community, needs to start mobilizing and becoming politically active. You know, what you said for is 100% right. This is a human rights issue. This is a broader human rights issue and we must situate it in that way. We should see the assaults on LGBT rights as an assault on human rights and that's an assault on all of our rights. That's a constitutional issue, that's an individual rights issue. So, you know, don't wait until we're seeing it play out in the classroom, till you're waiting till children, they have license to be beaten up in the playground. I have to say something when it comes to school because I think there is so much happening on the ground that we're still not, or we're still failing to capture when it comes to educators who are pushing different narratives, when it comes to principals who are also trying to leverage different tools. I think, for instance, in the context that I come from, these stories are there, but there's no access to these stories. And I think we need to start telling these stories, we need to start producing more knowledge on it in order to make this wheel move. So, that's where the media comes back in. Again, that's where the community support and the connections between public and private come into effect. There's a question here. Thank you. Sorry for my voice. My name is François Moudoutier. I'm the CEO of the African Women's Development Fund based in Ghana. And I thank you so much for sharing that example. I just wanted to share two invitations in relation to how we can work with the LGBTQI and feminist movements, especially in the global south, who are doing that work of bringing, bridging the gap between centering this issue as a human rights issue. The first invitation based on the example of Ghana is to use the power that especially big companies have to be a force of resistance because we can trace directly the resourcing for homophobia in Ghana, straight line to the US churches. And this has been documented in CNN like last month. And we don't have another force that balances it out. And I think there's big companies that are based in Ghana and other countries that can play that role. And the second invitation is to work with and fund those movements either through global original dedicated feminist funds that do that work like Australia is now in West Africa, Ohio and Eastern Africa. This is so critical because their work is so dangerous and so underfunded. And I just think that there's a great amount of wealth and resources in this room that is not connecting to those movements. So just two invitations from Africa. Thank you. I mean, I would just comment on the resourcing part of this is that, particularly in the global south and in countries that are particularly conservative where people do this work at extreme personal risk, you know, it goes back to how do you provide not only monetary resources, but also, you know, those safe spaces, those platforms to elevate the discussions where they can be safe. How do you also elevate them not just at a local level, but elevate these voices to the global level? So that, you know, states actually see that this is not just something but restricting these rights or allowing violence against this community is not something that is just gonna play to a domestic constituency, but this will have a ripple effect on our international standing as a country. And you can, you know, I think that we can do that in many different ways from many different sectors. So a country standing when it comes to investors. Right. Willing to put their money, their workforces in that part of the world. Are there any other questions? Hello, Kenneth Edwards from the California Association for Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors I'm based in San Francisco. As a black American cis LGBTQ male, I could only imagine what my ancestors and the people who came before me, my grandparents, my great grandparents, when they were going through the civil rights era to live through another period of needing or wanting or deserving civil rights, just makes you wanna just stamp your feet and yell and scream. I love how we've advanced, but why can't we just do it, you know? Why do we have to have this conversation and negotiate who we are and what rights are and what we'll take and what we'll tolerate versus let's just stand up and do it. What stops that from happening? I think the best point I've heard this morning is the cultural aspect. Religion for so many people is set in stone.  So yeah, I think there are, you know, we're built in a, we're working within a system that was built to exclude us, right? It was created to empower and build wealth for certain people and leave everybody else to do that at no cost, actually. So I think that that's why there's a constant negotiation. And you know, a lot of these younger activists are all about completely dismantling systemically how we are as a world put together. And we're seeing that extremism on both sides, right? And they want it for different reasons. One wants to keep it for power, and one wants to dismantle it so that they can gain more access and power. So I think it's a really big question, but the way that we've been able to move things forward is through changing culture, changing hearts and minds, and moving policy forward. And it's been very effective. And there are places that need a lot of light shown on it, on the challenges that they're facing.  Yes, we're with you. I think maybe because of the narrative of this conversation is mainly focusing on the positive side, this is maybe why this question is coming from. But the reality is very hard, let's face it. Even if youth are activists going on the, I mean in Egypt, a couple of years ago, Sarah Hijazi just brought the flag in a concert and then she was tortured for months, went out of the country to stay a bit safe, right? But she couldn't survive, she committed suicide. So yes, we need to leverage youth, but also we need to be smart how we can support these youth in this battle. Because it's very challenging, it's very hard and I think it's culture. This is what I think what we need to work on. No one should have to go it alone. Yeah, I mean, can I just add something to that? It's not always about progressing forward. We have to also defend what we have and the progress we've been made. If anything had, the last couple of years in particular, we have seen how the world has become more polarized on most rights issues, but particularly this issue. And we need to be very careful that we are not taking our rights for granted and that we need to make sure that we are defending and expanding these rights on all levels. And we also need to ensure that we're aware of where, I've used this word twice now, but it's the battlegrounds, but where are we being attacked from? You're not always going to see it. We can't only talk about the outspoken extreme views that are trying to shut down legislate or push through conservative legislation. I mean, if you look at the sort of social media platforms that we all take for granted, for example, Human Rights Watch has just finished a body of research that's going to be released shortly that looks at how social media is actually being used and to surveil LGBT communities across the Middle East. And it's being used even, I think it was Egypt was the example where they were using dating apps to actually bait men and then putting them in prison where they were tortured, where they were beaten, where they've had unfair trials. We're unfortunately being more aware that this is also starting to happen in Lebanon, by the way, just one month ago. So, it's a tough challenge. So, I just think that in this particular, we need to be really acutely aware it's beyond what we see. We need to continue to make sure that we are looking at where the abuses are taking place and we're pushing back. We're ensuring that the right safety steps are being taken. We're ensuring that governments are accountable. Security services aren't using these sort of abusive tactics to essentially violate the rights of this community. Sharon, is there a last word that you'd like to give? Thank you for inviting me. It's been a plet... I mean, I've learned so much. I've been listening attentively. I think that, you know, at BCG, you know... You've done it all. We've got a lot to do. I mean, we have a lot to do. You still have a lot to do. Sure, we have a lot to do. We have to continue to work on it every single day. And the environment is more challenging, frankly, than it was a few years ago. And so, it's been a great learning opportunity for me. Thank you for including me and look forward to staying in touch with you guys. As we heard there, it's not just about progressing. It's about defending rights, especially at a time where there are so many other things that people are worried about and suddenly LGBTQ rights are just a sidebar. We also heard about decriminalization, marriage equality, that the courts are fundamental, but that companies contribute and can contribute. They can be a force of resistance, as we heard. Quiet diplomacy is also possible in countries where it can be dangerous to speak up, but don't go it alone. Utilize civil society, as we heard from Sarah Kaye. It's also not just a right if this is the strategy you want to take. It's also about love. You know, really, when you get personal, people understand, ah, okay, okay, this guy's been having a rough past 47 years or however old he is. What can media do, okay? That's something I'm looking at every day in my job as a journalist and all you journalists should be thinking about as well. You really have to be careful about the words you use, the people you talk to and why.   It's also about keeping track of the political narrative. So watching in your country which way things are going, reaching out to elected members. Also, considering that there are investors out there looking at country's ratings when they're looking at setting up shop in your country. It's also, it also a lot of the time comes down to the cultural and religious thinking and that is a very tough one as well as the education sector. But yeah, it's all about progressing and defending. I think that's my biggest takeaway today. But thank you very much for all of you. It was a fantastic session and thank you for your questions. And I hope you enjoy the rest of Davos. It's a very different world economic forum for me. Two panels on LGBTQI plus rights and also the first official LGBTQI dinner which I just hosted the other night. So we're seeing progress here as well. Thank you.