she is a bit nervous. can you have applause for her? [applause] >> i am troy davis. i am troy davis. i am troy davis. i am troy davis. i am troy davis. we are troy davis. we are troy davis. we are troy davis. >> i wanted the building to shake. ready?

>> we are troy davis. we are troy davis. we are troy davis. we are troy davis. we are troy davis. we are troy davis. we are troy davis. >> thank you for coming i want to colin you to take action and and get a the "i am troy davis" book signed an end i want to call in you to take action you can take action to amnesty international end pledge you will continue to fight the good fight. we are troy davis.

[applause] if you would start by giving us a little bit of your upbringing in a religious history. >> i am the grants up of a baptist preacher and the nephew of two other baptist preachers in my family was about the evangelical but i grew up deep in evangelical culture then and i went to

high school in miami florida >> host: what was her family's reaction when you came out as gay? >> guest: they were not excited my mother cried and cried and cried. extremely difficult in a relationship but i don't think all of my relatives know yet a funny thing in the chinese family the way information is passed around. the chinese lehr the christian in layer eight and between the two there is shame my parents have not exactly broadcast it to everyone. >> host: you have written a book whether or not jesus loves to. what is your christianity today? >> guest: and i attended a reformed church in brooklyn diamond older there isn't the faith of those goes through peeks and valleys i

would be lying if i would say in his consistent. is a struggle. you look fatah or every confine evidence and then you have points but for a knee that tends to be nature to feel it pulls me closer. >> host: are you a christian today? >> guest: i would use that word sometimes i am troubled by the basics of the language. what do we mean evangelical? conservative? but christian is the right term. i follow jesus as best i can. >> host: so with your search what did you find with established religions religions, a christian religions and if that is

acceptable? >> looking at american and christianity today you find open hostility, a great silent discomfort and it depends on where you look. but the feeling is that most of these people will try their best to do what they think is right to and the motive does matter. most people try to be loving even if it always does not feel like or looks like love to the rest of us. >> host: and can you give an example? >> west borrow baptist church of the god hates fags church in topeka kansas. i this was one -- facing lake eyre so hateful but yet they tried to explain to me is out of love because they

believe they have been instructed to love your neighbor and how can you love them more than to tell them that they are going to help they have a chance to turn a rhode island? that it is hard for the rest of us to accept. i don't expect to be bette to accept that but consider where they say they come from. >> host: did you interview members of the phelps family? >> i spent four days in topeka talking to them and worshiping with them in church, going on protest because i wanted to understand what life was like in the congregation. they were very open with me and i was with them as much as they wanted to know. they knew i was gay i did

not tell them straight out but they did not ask. i assumed they knew but it never came up in to it does not matter if i am okay if i am not a part of their church i am going to hell anyway. >> host: what about the mainstream christian religion? >> much mainly christianity is in a more progressive and inclusive direction but with the presbyterians of bickering and others struggling cover there is no set of opinion that the general trend is the church is moving in a more liberal direction but that doesn't happen within flights within a denomination. >> host: did you visit

with the catholic church? >> guest: i did not focus on the catholic church. as a reporter i can only write about the stories of those who are willing to talk to me. i tried to find a gay priest who would open up. i was not able to find one that they are under represented in my book. the funny thing is that my husband is catholic and never thought about asking him for his story intel after the book went to press. the cap was a feeling on my part. >> host: metropolitan community church is the so-called gay church. what did you find? >> guest: i visited two congregations of us vegas ian and san francisco the beautiful thing it is a spiritual home for a lot of

people who want to hang on to a church but don't feel comfortable in regular churches founded by a guy who became a preacher in needed an impairment like that. it was a gift for the immense number of christians but not really that community i felt was ford me. i personally don't want to go to a church that is just gave people but that reflects my community mine in brooklyn is black-and-white and in the gay and straight and asian and hispanic we are a cross-section in my neighborhood specifically with an over representation of a journalist but that is the type i was looking for. , i found a warm welcome there is something beautiful the way they serve communion

that they embrace them. was critical of some elements but i tried to be honest as a reporter and as fair as i could be. >> host: what is your day job? >> guest: i'm an editor also the religion writer for begin which is a new start up to try a new model of journalism. >> host: so the answer to the question does jesus really love me? >> guest: it depends on who you risk every person has a slightly different vintage cobbled together from what you read in the newspaper or a gut instinct no person has the same view of jesus or spirituality it is so diverse but also very difficult -- difficult.

>> host: what is the answer for yourself? >> guest: most days is that jesus does love me and my god disgrace is handled the mistakes that i make. >> host: the other days? >> guest: i look forward to the day after. >> host: the author of does jesus really lovely? -- love me? fate you for spending time with us

>> host: how did when to the u.s.-led trade start? >> guest: they're involved from the moment we began as a colony of britain. , one of the interesting things is in the constitutional convention there was a compromise between the states had slaves and those that didn't. the constitution said the federal congress could not take action against the slave trade intel 18 '08 pin 1807 president jefferson sent legislation to congress today and participation of the slave trade from u.s. ships and persons in congress passed last so the u.s. prohibited the slave trade which was a long time before slavery itself and it but the issues were different even southerners were in support of spending the slave trade.

>> host: why? >> guest: it was perceived as the more unjust or inhumane part of the traffic but also they had the economic self-interest they already owned slaves and the environment was slave mortality was not as high as q but zero or brazilwood they did not live very long because of the environment or disease but of will treated as they could be they would live for a decent life span so low that by banning those that would limit the influx in the ability of their neighbors so it was the odd coalition. >> host: you have a chart that shows the importation of slaves?

>> character is a strong spike because everyone knew that as soon as the clock turned that congress would be you and the slave trade. >> host: the other half is about the international human-rights law of wind did that start to become part of this discussion and? >> people fleeing to international human rights law is a product of the 20th century but it was right after world war ii as news of the holocaust came out a bunch of things happen in to the undercover trials trials, is similar trials in the far east. , a is the moment the people said that is when they started to look at human rights but i say in

connection with the slave trade gap in international law was first used so when countries like the u.s. began to spread it that this is longer practice they want to participate the same ideas that underpinned the revolution in france the declaration says we hold these truths to be self-evident they're all in douglas certain unalienable rights of the wrist attention but those ideas were spread throughout the atlantic world and the quakers so as they became

more active in civil society fate put new pressure to stop the slave trade because it was an international problem of the countries engaged in troubles in the ocean where participated. even if the wes said we began the slave trade that isn't enough because spain or portugal or friends they would pick up the slack so there rabil international corporation they are receptive to the pressure and begin to enter into treaties and but we would

call the international relations sheikh talk that slavery is wrong that include no enforcement mechanism but the tide turned to say will this be enough? they began to push for enforcement measures for more than a century before the tribunal but to promote these cost what they would do is fit and it was caught of the illegal slave trade it would be brought before the slave trade there is a treaty between britain and

spain than the slaves would be free end of the ship would be auctioned off. between the sea captain in the government involved. soties international courts heard these cases santry 80,000 slaves which is a huge number. all post 80 '08. >> host: what was the name? >> guest: there was a bunch of bilateral treaties brazil, the netherlands were the initial country's anti-western wayne to before the civil war. paper called the next courts because they involve the judges from different countries. . .

>> delighted to be here with mr. husain haqqani to talk about his book that was just released, speak evil of magnificent illusions. delighted to be here with you today. you served as the ambassador from