Editing Raëlism (section)

== Outreach and advocacy ==
[[File:Raëlians asking to stop the prohibition of Raël's entry into Korea.jpg|thumb|Raëlians protesting the South Korean government's 2003 ban on Raël entering the country]]

The International Raëlian Movement has established various projects through which to promote its ideology.{{sfn|Chryssides|2003|p=56}}
In 1997 it created [[Clonaid]], a company devoted to human cloning.{{sfn|Chryssides|2003|p=56}} Clients can bank a sample of their DNA with the group, which offers to then produce a single clone of the individual after they die.{{sfn|Chryssides|2003|p=56}} Another Raëlian company, Ovulaid, seeks to provide ovaries for individuals and couples who cannot biologically produce their offspring.{{sfn|Chryssides|2003|p=56}} It expresses its intention to develop technologies that can create "designer babies" to the desired specification of their client.{{sfn|Chryssides|2003|p=56}} An additional project, Insuraclone, is designed to clone organs for an individual in the event of future organ failure,{{sfnm|1a1=Chryssides|1y=2003|1p=56|2a1=Palmer|2a2=Sentes|2y=2012|2p=179}} while Clonapet intended to clone people's pets after the latter died.{{sfn|Chryssides|2003|p=56}}

The Raëlians are known for their socio-political activism, specifically for women's rights, gay rights, opposition to racism, banning nuclear testing, and promoting genetically-modified foods.{{sfn|Palmer|Sentes|2012|p=177}} Throughout the history of Raëlism, members of the Raëlian Church have toured public settings advocating [[masturbation]], [[condoms]], and [[birth control]].<ref name="Promise of as much sex as you want and everlasting life"/> Through its activities, Palmer stated that the Raëlian Movement was involved in "concocting, then carefully monitoring, a mild level of cultural conflict" to generate publicity for the group,{{sfn|Palmer|2004|p=67}} something coupled with "blatant courtship of the media".{{sfn|Palmer|2004|p=53}} She compared these tactics to those of [[Anton LaVey]]'s [[Church of Satan]] in the 1960s and 1970s.{{sfn|Palmer|2004|p=67}} When media has adopted a mocking tone toward the religion, Raël has urged its followers to defend their beliefs, resulting in letter-writing campaigns and sometimes lawsuits.{{sfn|Palmer|2004|p=53}}

In 1992, the IRM launched protests against the [[Montreal Catholic School Commission]]'s decision to veto the addition of [[condom machine]]s to the bathrooms of Roman Catholic high schools in Quebec. The Raëlians parked a "condom-mobile" outside Roman Catholic high schools in Quebec and Ontario from which they dispensed contraceptives to the pupils.{{sfn|Palmer|2004|p=68}} In 1993, the Raëlians organized a conference on masturbation in Quebec, at which speeches were given by Raël and [[Betty Dodson]]. Advertising this cause, Raëlians handed out badges with "Oui à la masturbation (Yes to masturbation)" on them at the [[Montreal Jazz Festival]].{{sfn|Palmer|2004|p=69}}

[[File:GoTopless Day 2018 Paris 03.jpg|thumb|left|Raëlians promoting "Go Topless Day" in Paris in 2018]]

In 2000, the Raëlians launched NOPEDO, a group to combat paedophilia.{{sfn|Palmer|Sentes|2012|p=177}} In 2001, they publicly distributed leaflets in Italy and Switzerland protesting the existence of over a hundred child molesters among Roman Catholic clergy in France. Geneva's Episcopal [[vicar]] sued the Raëlian Church for libel but the judge dismissed the charges as the Raëlian accusation was deemed to only target convicted priests and not the Roman Catholic Church as a whole.{{sfn|Palmer|2004|p=91}} In 2002, Raëlians held an anti-clerical parade in Montreal, where they gave high school students Christian crosses and invited the students to both burn them and sign letters of apostasy to the Roman Catholic Church. The Quebec Association of Bishops called this "incitement to hatred", and several school boards attempted to prevent their students from meeting Raëlians.{{sfn|Palmer|2004|p=92}}

The movement supports genetically-modified foods.{{sfn|Chryssides|2003|p=55}} In 2003, naked members arranged themselves into the shape of the phrases "J'aime OGM" and "I love GM" in a Quebec field.<ref name="Monsanto">{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2003-08-06-raelians-biotech_x.htm |title=With friends like these, Monsanto needs no enemies |website=USATODAY.com |date=6 August 2003 |accessdate=19 January 2022 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014144250/https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2003-08-06-raelians-biotech_x.htm |archivedate=14 October 2012}}</ref>
In 2006, about 30 Raëlians, some of them topless, took part in an anti-war demonstration in [[Seoul]], [[South Korea]].<ref name="Raelity show">[http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/photo/2006/05/01/2005052957 raelity show] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702233504/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/photo/2006/05/01/2005052957 |date=2 July 2018 }}, ''[[Associated Press]]''. Retrieved 13 March 2007.</ref> In 2003, Raëlians in white alien costumes bore signs bearing the message "NO WAR ... ET wants Peace, too!" to protest the [[2003 Invasion of Iraq]].<ref name="Translation: Global anti-war rallies map series">[https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=zh-CN&u=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/chinese/news/newsid_2766000/27662791.stm&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/chinese/news/newsid_2766000/27662791.stm%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26hs%3DXmu Translation: "Global anti-war rallies map series"], ''[[Agence France-Presse]]''. 15 March 2003. Retrieved 13 March 2007.</ref>
In 2009 it launched its "Adopt a Clitoris" project to raise money to create a hospital in Africa to reverse damage caused by [[female genital mutilation]] (FGM);{{sfn|Palmer|Sentes|2012|p=178}} it has also established [[Clitoraid]], an organization whose mission is to oppose FGM.<ref name="On s'en est fait passer une p'tite vite!">[https://web.archive.org/web/20080424141117/http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20061205/CPNOUVELLISTE/612050740/5409/CPNOUVELLISTE "On s'en est fait passer une p'tite vite!"], ''Cyberpresse.ca''. 5 December 2006. Retrieved 21 September 2007.</ref><ref name="Raëlian effort to promote sponsorship of clitorises">[http://clitoraid.org/ Raëlian effort to promote sponsorship of clitorises], ''Clitoraid.org''. Retrieved 9 August 2006.</ref> Another of the groups established by the Raëlian Church is ARAMIS (Active Raelian Association for Multiplicity In Sexuality),<ref name="aramaic"/> which is the Raëlian Association of Sexual Minorities and an [[LGBT rights]] group.{{sfn|Palmer|Sentes|2012|p=177}}

Several Raëlian groups in the United States have organized annual protests, claiming that women should have the same legal right to go topless in public that men enjoy without fear of arrest for indecent exposure.<ref name="go-topless">[http://www.gotopless.org/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101123032017/http://gotopless.org/|date=23 November 2010}}, ''gotopless.org''. Retrieved 1 December 2019.</ref> Some people have called this a publicity stunt designed to recruit members.<ref>https://nationalpost.com/posted-toronto/where-and-when-you-can-go-topless-in-ontario-and-what-it-has-to-do-with-ufos Retrieved on 11 April 2024.</ref> [[Go Topless Day]] is their annual event, with women protesting topless except for nipple pasties to avoid arrest. It is held near 26 August, the anniversary of [[Women's Equality Day]].<ref name="go-topless-day">[http://www.aolnews.com/weird-news/article/men-wear-bras-so-women-can-go-topless/19590056 "Men Wear Bras So Women Can Go Topless"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100823183148/http://www.aolnews.com/weird-news/article/men-wear-bras-so-women-can-go-topless/19590056 |date=23 August 2010 }}, ''gotopless.com''. Retrieved 1 December 2019.</ref>