If I were to tell you that a purportedly secular anti-abortion group was engaging in the very same fear mongering and harassment of abortion providers that the largely Christian dominated pro-life groups do; would you be surprised? The True Pooka’s final report on Secular Pro-Life’s tactics is posted. In addition to the other tactics Pooka documented, the group […]
What really matters…The So-Called Secular Arguments Against Choice
It is often difficult and awkward to move disagreements forward to where they become productive in the insular, organized atheist community. Especially for a family that is as actively involved as the Ra family, because a lot of times we know and like and often respect the people involved on a personal level. And to […]
Breaking Love and Reproductive Rights Out of the Christian Frame
I have been pleasantly surprised that the youtube comments on my speech on The Heart of Humanism at The Southern California Secular Humanism Conference are mainly addressing the topic. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oJB0bH_1EQ Especially because I addressed how secularists need to examine where their beliefs about love in particular may be influenced by Christian culture such as ideas […]
Ani DiFranco and white feminist gate-keeping to the point of absurdity.
Of course many white feminists get that advocating for gender equality is valueless if you don’t include equality for people of color too. Supporting women of color is a no brainer. Then there are a few with blind spots, who ostensibly get this idea, but then in practice fail to question their own internalized racist […]
Reaching the choir
Much discussion has focused on bringing women and minority groups into the secular fold. Considering the gender gap in secular communities (these numbers are from America) this is a laudable goal. Conversely, in religious communities there is an inverse relationship in the ratios of women and ethnic minorities. From Protestant communities where there are 8 […]
Asian Cultural Sensitivity 101: Why is Katy Perry’s “Geisha” performance considered racist?
I know no one asked me to weigh in on this, but what the heck. I am the resident East Eurasian here. Seriously though my social media is awash in East Asian outrage and also cultural insensitivity over Perry’s performance yesterday at the AMAs dressed in modified,sexy geisha apparel. There are a number of comments […]
The Trouble with Religious Bullies
Sometimes it must be hard for religious bullies to punch down as hard as they would like to on despised minorities like nonbelievers and LGBT especially when they’re asked to stop. It seems no matter how politely you phrase it; the mere act of the mildest resistance to their authority is met with denials, outright […]
Michael Nugent on choosing not to make a jerk of yourself.
Nugent suggests 8 choices that he thinks may help move the secular community beyond the rifts that have developed. I blame Rebecca Watson! You know she will inevitably be blamed anyways, so now that that is out of the way. (joking, of course) I do attempt to do everything he has listed when I discuss controversial topics […]
Showing Solidarity with Black Nonbelievers when you aren’t Black
Last weekend, Aron and I went to a presentation about the history of Black Freethought by Alix Jules hosted by Houston Oasis. Right now the Houston Atheists boast the largest group of freethinkers in Texas with a population of 2,078. Salute! We happen to know Alix from being members of DFW’s Fellowship of Freethought the largest group […]
Gay man’s love is more powerful than his father’s religious hate.
This man’s story from NPR’s “Story Corps” brought a tear to my eye. Bryan Wilmoth and his 7 siblings were raised in a brutally religious family. Upon finding a love letter from another boy to Bryan, his father abandoned his 15 year old son in the middle of a field with a 5 dollar bill. Rather […]