Discrimination Archives - American Atheists

Tell Lawmakers: We’re Here, We’re Atheist, and We Demand Representation!

American Atheists — Wed, 06 May 2020 21:32:33 +0000

American Atheists recently launched Reality Check: Being Nonreligious in America, a report based on the U.S. Secular Survey conducted in 2019. This survey of nearly 34,000 nonreligious participants looked at the needs, priorities, and challenges that atheists and nonreligious people face in our daily lives. This was the largest survey ever conducted focusing specifically on nonreligious communities in America. American Atheists’ members helped make this groundbreaking report possible. But now we need your help again — we must send this report to lawmakers all across America to show them that we live in their districts and we deserve representation! Please take action now! Click here to send Reality Check to your state and federal representatives! Lawmakers can no longer ignore our community! Religiously unaffiliated people make up nearly 25% of the electorate, and explicitly nonreligious people comprise a growing share of the population. Moreover, the report shows that 94.7% of the participants were registered to vote and 86.5% always or nearly always vote, which is a significantly higher voting rate than the general population. The three most important policy priorities for participants were 1) maintaining secular public schools, 2) opposing religious exemptions that allow for discrimination, and 3) ensuring access to abortion and contraception. Moreover, the study shows that there is rampant stigma and discrimination against nonreligious people, particularly in very religious communities. But it also shows the strength of our communities — more than one in five participants were members of local secular groups. Please act now! Tell your representatives that we live in their districts and that we deserve representation just like every other American! Help elevate the voices of atheist, agnostic, humanist, and nonreligious Americans on Twitter using this sample tweet. Or, even better, tell your own story using the hashtags #SecularSurvey or #RealityCheckReport. Even more sample tweets and social media graphics are available here.

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Largest Survey on Nonreligious Americans Reveals Widespread Discrimination and Stigma

American Atheists — Tue, 05 May 2020 13:00:18 +0000

Cranford, NJ—Today, the nonreligious identity organization American Atheists released Reality Check: Being Nonreligious in America, a comprehensive report drawn from the groundbreaking U.S. Secular Survey. Counting nearly 34,000 nonreligious participants and organized by a team of researchers at Strength in Numbers Consulting Group, the U.S. Secular Survey is the largest ever data collection project on secular Americans and their experiences. “At 75 million people, religiously unaffiliated Americans are as large a demographic as either Evangelical Christians or Catholics, and explicitly nonreligious people comprise a growing share of the population, yet before the U.S. Secular Survey there had been a lack of focused research on our community,” said Alison Gill, Vice President for Legal and Policy at American Atheists, who helped lead the project. “What we found shocked us. Discrimination and stigma against nonreligious Americans is widespread and extremely harmful.” Due to their nonreligious identity, more than half of participants (54.5%) had negative experiences with family members, nearly one third (29.4%) in education, and more than one in five (21.7%) in the workplace. Of those who experienced discrimination within their families, there was a 73.3% higher rate of likely depression. “This report shows that the more religious the community, the more likely nonreligious people are to face discrimination and stigma,” said Gill. “Nonreligious Americans living in very religious communities, concentrated in rural areas and the South, are particularly at risk.” The nearly one third of participants (29.8%) living in “very religious” communities were nearly two and a half times more likely to experience discrimination in education, two and a half times more likely in public services (voting, jury duty, poll work), more than three times more likely in employent, and more than two times more likely when dealing with private businesses, compared to those living in “not at all religious” communities. “The struggles of nonreligious Americans are far too often overlooked. Thankfully, the U.S. Secular Survey has revealed the discrimination our community regularly faces,” said Nick Fish, president of American Atheists. “With that well-established, we need to find solutions and work toward ending the stigma faced by our community.” The report found that involvement with organized secular community groups is an important protective factor that correlated with reduced likelihood of loneliness and depression. Members of national secular organizations were 34.8% less likely than non-members to be at risk for depression, while members of local secular groups were 29.3% less likely. “Now that we know the power of organized secularism, it’s up to secular organizations to advocate for change and provide as many nonreligious Americans as possible with the support and community they need,” added Fish.

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Atheists Oppose Rolling Back Housing Protections for Nonbelievers and Minorities

American Atheists — Fri, 27 Mar 2020 19:45:05 +0000

Washington, D.C.—Today, American Atheists submitted comments to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, opposing the rollback of religious freedom protections for atheists, women, LGBTQ people, and other groups. The proposed rule conflicts with the goal of social services programs by putting the interests of taxpayer-funded religious organizations above the needs of people seeking critical services. “This proposal is dangerous, contravenes constitutional requirements and federal law, and opens recipients of government services to discrimination, harassment, and religious coercion,” wrote Alison Gill, Vice President for Legal and Policy at American Atheists. “We strongly urge you to withdraw the proposed rule in its entirety.”

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Atheists Urge Supreme Court to Protect Employees from Discriminatory Religious Organizations

American Atheists — Wed, 11 Mar 2020 21:22:17 +0000

Washington, D.C.—In an amicus brief filed today, American Atheists, the Center for Inquiry, and the American Humanist Association urged the Supreme Court to deny attempts by religious employers to ignore non-discrimination laws on the basis of their religion. At the center of the consolidated cases Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru and St. James School v. Biel is the ministerial exception, a court doctrine that allows religious organizations to select their religious leaders—ministers, pastors, or priests—without government oversight. The two Catholic schools in question, however, are petitioning the court to expand the ministerial exception to include teachers with limited religious duties. “An overexpansion of the ministerial exception—far past its original intent—would violate the Constitution and virtually dissolve civil rights and labor protections for countless employees that work for religious organizations,” said Alison Gill, Vice President for Legal and Policy at American Atheists. Lawyers for the two religious schools are asserting a theory of “ecclesiastical immunity,” which would prevent courts from reviewing any discrimination claim by an employee at a religious organization if the employer merely asserts that the person performed a religious function. “If the Catholic schools have their way, they could call any employee a ‘religious leader.’ There would be zero oversight, and nothing would prevent religious hospitals, shelters, and even private businesses from citing this case to discriminate at will and without notice,” added Gill. “Twisting the ministerial exception in order to discriminate against employees with secular duties is not only unconstitutional, it’s immoral,” said Nick Fish, president of American Atheists. “This is just the latest attempt by religious groups to weaponize their religion and use it as a license to discriminate. We can only hope the Supreme Court sees through this cynical attempt to gut what few protections employees have in this country.” Image by Visitor7 under CC BY-SA 3.0.

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The Supreme Court Could Blow a Hole in Church/State Separation Next Term

American Atheists — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 20:36:23 +0000

Washington, D.C.—Today, American Atheists warned about Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, an upcoming Supreme Court case that could allow religious organizations broad exemptions and unfettered freedom to ignore nondiscrimination laws. Catholic Social Services, a foster-care agency, is suing the city of Philadelphia, claiming it is entitled to a taxpayer-funded contract to place children in foster care despite the agency’s refusal to comply with the city’s nondiscrimination requirements. “Catholic Social Services wants to turn away atheist, LGBTQ, and religious minority parents yet demands government funding to promote and normalize their discriminatory behavior. This is beyond absurd,” said Alison Gill, Vice President for Legal and Policy at American Atheists. “As bad as that is, if they were to prevail, the ripple effects would be even more disastrous. Discriminatory religious groups would have free reign to ignore the laws they don’t like and demand government money while refusing to serve all Americans,” added Gill. “Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, and atheists—we all need to follow the same laws,” said Nick Fish, president of American Atheists. “If the Supreme Court sides with discrimination, they’ll be putting religious dogma above the interests of the most vulnerable children and the rights of all Americans.”

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American Atheists Opposes HUD’s Plan to Rollback Housing Protections for Nonreligious Americans

American Atheists — Fri, 18 Oct 2019 16:00:42 +0000

Cranford, NJ—On Tuesday, American Atheists submitted comments opposing a proposed rule by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that would rollback housing civil rights protections for atheists, religious minorities, people of color, and other minority groups. “American Atheists has grave concerns regarding the impact the proposed rule will have on the ability of atheists and others in the nonreligious community to protect their right to be free from discriminatory housing practices,” wrote Geoffrey Blackwell, litigation counsel for American Atheists. American Atheists recently launched the U.S. Secular Survey, the largest study of nonreligious Americans and the discrimination they face, including in housing. “Many atheists and other nonreligious individuals are subjected to intentional discrimination,” said Blackwell, citing a Michigan town that only allowed Christians to buy houses as one out of countless examples. “However, nonreligious Americans also often face subtle but pernicious forms of housing discrimination through policies and practices that, while not discriminatory on their face, nonetheless are discriminatory in effect against the nonreligious,” he added. Blackwell cited the example of a New Jersey retirement community that prevented men and women from swimming together during six days out of the week, forcing all residents wishing to use the community’s private pool to conform to the practices of the Orthodox Jewish community. “HUD’s proposed rule would impose a drastically higher burden on victims of this more subtle form of housing discrimination, rendering it much more difficult to challenge policies and practices that disproprtionately harm the nonreligious,” he added. American Atheists urges HUD to withdraw the proposed rule in its entirety.

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Texas Residents: Oppose Dangerous Religious Exemptions

American Atheists — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 17:42:15 +0000

Today the Texas State Senate will vote on broad, poorly defined religious exceptions that would open the door to widespread discrimination. Under SB 17, any professional licensed by a state agency could discriminate or refuse to provide services based on their religious beliefs. We urgently need your help to stop this dangerous bill! These exemptions from licensing and professional standards would have unpredictable and far-reaching negative consequences in hundreds of professions, including health care, education, and child welfare. For example, health care providers could turn away sick and injured people seeking care (except for immediate lifesaving measures), teachers could refuse to teach certain students or refuse to follow educational standards, or child care facilities could refuse to comply with vaccination requirements. There is simply no limit to the range of issues that this bill may affect which can be justified by religious belief. No one should receive special privileges based on their religious beliefs. And the people of Texas should not be made to bear the cost for these dangerous privileges. Please ask your state senator to oppose SB 17 today!

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Atheists: Religion No Excuse to Hold off on Federal LGBTQ Protections

American Atheists — Wed, 13 Mar 2019 22:54:14 +0000

Cranford, NJ—American Atheists praised the reintroduction today of the Equality Act. This bill would add sexual orientation and gender identity to existing federal nondiscrimination laws, which already include categories such as race, religion, and sex. “The lack of clear federal protections for LGBTQ people fails to protect millions of Americans from discrimination in areas like employment, housing, and public accommodations,” said Alison Gill, Vice President for Legal and Policy. “Too often, LGBTQ people can only rely on a patchwork of limited state and local nondiscrimination protections, many of which have massive carve-outs and exemptions for religious organizations and beliefs.” “The Equality Act gets it right by amending the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to protect sexual orientation and gender identity,” said American Atheists president Nick Fish. “Just as religion is no excuse to discriminate on the basis of race, sex, or national origin, it’s no justification for allowing discrimination against millions of LGBTQ Americans.” “No one should have to worry about losing their job, getting kicked out of their apartment, or denied service because of who they are,” Fish added. “Almost 70% of Americans are on the side of equality. It’s time for Congress to act and affirm that discrimination—whether motivated by religion or not—has no place in American society.” American Atheists has joined nearly 300 non-profit organizations, 166 companies employing more than 8.7 million people, and the 230 House of Representatives and 46 Senate sponsors in endorsing the 2019 Equality Act.

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Atheist Groups Urge Senate to Reject Discriminatory Adoption Provision in Appropriations Bill

American Atheists — Tue, 24 Jul 2018 16:26:21 +0000

Washington, DC—In a letter to the chairman and vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, a coalition of six national atheist, humanist, and secular groups urged the Senate to oppose a discriminatory amendment to the House Labor, Health, and Human Services Appropriations bill that would put the health and welfare of children in our nation’s adoption and foster care system at risk. This amendment, introduced by Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Alabama) and passed over bipartisan opposition in committee, would require states to allow taxpayer-funded child welfare agencies to discriminate and refuse to provide services based on their religious beliefs in order to avoid crushing financial penalties to their child welfare systems. Currently 46 states have protections against religious discrimination in place which would trigger such penalties, potentially resulting in over $1 billion in federal funds withheld from child welfare agencies. “The Aderholt Amendment is part of a larger trend of Christian supremacists demanding that our tax dollars be used to fund their bigotry,” said Alison Gill, legal and policy director of American Atheists. “Their distorted vision of ‘religious freedom’ will prevent countless children from finding loving, permanent homes.” Not only does the Aderhold Amendment allow discrimination against would-be parents—including prospective parents who are atheists, LGBTQ, single or remarried, minority religions, or even the “wrong” sort of Christian—it would also allow child welfare providers to deny social services to the youth themselves, in order to accommodate the religious beliefs of the provider. The overly broad language of the amendment could be used by foster parents to deny medical services, counseling, or contraception to young people; by youth shelters who do not wish to serve pregnant, LGBTQ, atheist, or religious minority youth; or by providers who wish to subject young people to the dangerous and discredited practice of “conversion therapy,” which falsely claims to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. “The ability to love and care for a child is not limited to people of any one particular religion,” said Nick Fish, American Atheists’ national program director. “My parents weren’t asked what religion they practiced when they adopted me. The only thing that mattered was that they put my interests first.” “Cutting more than $1 billion in funds from an already-strained and under-funded foster care and adoption system will put hundreds of thousands of children at risk,” added Fish. “These young people deserve better.” The letter was signed by American Atheists, American Humanist Association, Freedom From Religion Foundation, Center for Inquiry, Secular Coalition for America, and Secular Student Alliance.

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Oklahomans: Tell Your State Reps You Oppose Religious Discrimination in Foster Care

American Atheists — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 01:00:36 +0000

Oklahoma City, OK—The Oklahoma State Legislature is considering new religious exceptions (SB 1140) that would allow adoption and foster care placement agencies that receive state funding to discriminate against potential foster and adoptive parents based upon their religious beliefs. For example, this bill would allow adoption and foster care placement agencies to discriminate against atheists and nonbelievers, religious minorities, single parents, LGBTQ people, or any other group of people they disfavor. This kind of discrimination reduces the number of potential adoptive parents, making children in these systems less likely to find a loving permanent home. Sponsors of this bill claim that religious child placement agencies in other states have been forced to close due to same-sex marriage – but that is simply untrue. Instead, these agencies have a choice: they can either take government funds or they can choose to discriminate. This is the only option that is fair to the people of Oklahoma and the children involved. SB 1140 has already passed the state senate and will be before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, April 11. Take action now to stop this discriminatory bill! Please note, only Oklahoma residents will be able to participate in this action.

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