SF Gate: "'Outed' Unbelievers Unite" - Democratic Underground

Yollam

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Mon Feb-20-06 04:28 PM
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SF Gate: "'Outed' Unbelievers Unite"

Atheists hoping to assert rights in religious era

Joe Garofoli, Chronicle Staff Writer
Monday, February 20, 2006

Gathered around the plastic red-and-white tablecloths in the back room of a San Francisco hofbrau, 30 of the Bay Area's "out" atheists were recasting themselves as the protagonists of America's newest civil rights struggle.

As they described the strain of being openly atheistic in an increasingly religious culture, many wished their godless crusade would emulate one social movement in particular -- the fight for gay rights.

"You can be elected as an openly gay politician in this country, but you can't be elected as an openly atheistic one," said Lori Lipman Brown, who was hired last fall to be the Washington, D.C., lobbyist for an organization devoted to atheist causes, the Secular Coalition for America. She's believed to be the first paid lobbyist for the unbelievers in the nation's capital, the front lines of the culture wars.

Now, all Brown is seeking is a constituency willing to go public.

Lori Lipman Brown, of the Secular Coalition for America, is believed to be the nation's first paid lobbyist for atheists. She met with local atheists at a San Francisco restaurant, looking for those who would go public with their lack of faith. Chronicle photo by Kim Komenich

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papau

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Mon Feb-20-06 04:40 PM
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1. What are the legal changes wanted by the Secular Coalition for America?

What are the positions on candidates wanted by them - beyond being to the left of center politically?

Mission Statement
The mission of the Secular Coalition for America is to increase the visibility and respectability of nontheistic viewpoints in the United States and to protect and strengthen the secular character of our government as the best guarantee of freedom for all.

"As resources allow, we will actively cooperate in projects that support our position, with priority given to political action initiatives and public relations opportunities"

I went through their list of positions and they were all to the left and none that seemed to have a "purely atheist" bent.

Good luck to them - but I wonder why there is a need for the atheist label on their positions.

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