What atheists can learn from the gay rights movement

[cleanhippie]

I’m not gay. But I am jealous. How did homosexuality shift in public opinion from less respectable than atheism to more? And what can the atheist movement learn from the LGBT movement?

--snip--

The most obvious and effective lesson atheists are learning from gays (including all LGBTs) is to come out of the closet. Attitudes toward gays changed rapidly when people learned that their friends, neighbors, and even family members were gay. Attitudes about atheists are slowly changing as atheists are slowly coming out.

--snip--

Like most Americans, I gave little thought to fundamentalist, soul-saving Christians until they began to focus on politics. I’ve never been a closeted atheist, but I was an apathetic atheist for most of my life. While a graduate student in New York and later a math professor in Massachusetts in the 1970s, my friends and I had more important things to discuss than religion. For instance, our sex lives. Most of my friends were probably apathetic atheists, and some of them, unfortunately, felt the need to be closeted gays.

The LGBT movement deserves enormous credit for framing and publicizing their issues, forming a big tent that allows for cooperation between activist and laid back gays, and developing a well-organized community with a constituency recognized by politicians. And so it should be with atheists, which is a goal of the Secular Coalition for America and its member organizations.

http://www.secularnewsdaily.com/2013/04/what-atheists-can-learn-from-the-gay-rights-movement-2/

Recent polls on the rise of the "nones" are constantly being downplayed by more liberal believers through attempts to label the "nones" not as non-believers, but as something else. Something that is not "atheist" (how awful) but more "spiritual" (and therefore more like us so we can like them better than atheists) that do not follow any major religion.

While this tactic may work to keep atheists as a despised minority in the short-term, it disregards the fact that fewer and fewer people are buying the bullshit they were INDOCTRINATED with as children or hear later as adults with rational minds. They are scared, because deep down, they see the handwriting on the wall; just like the LGBT community finally starting to get the respect and equal treatment they deserve, non-believers are being accepted too. And it frightens them.

[Fumesucker]

1. Easy to say

But people need jobs and most people like having friends and family, coming out as an atheist is a damn good way to lose your job and quite possibly your friends and even family in a substantial part of America.

For the record, I've never knowingly met another atheist and I'm sixtysomething, I had an OP about it in the Religion forum some time back.

Even here on DU atheists are called "militant" or "rabid" if they let it be known they find our religion drenched culture a bit offputting from time to time.

[cleanhippie]

2. I think the takeaway from the article is this...

The LGBT movement deserves enormous credit for framing and publicizing their issues, forming a big tent that allows for cooperation between activist and laid back gays, and developing a well-organized community with a constituency recognized by politicians.

[Fumesucker]

3. But gays have ways of recognizing each other from subtle cues, "gaydar"

I lost a great deal of respect for a couple of prolific posters here on DU after the most recent inauguration when they posted OPs ridiculing anyone who had the slightest problem with the religion drenched ceremonies.

Even on one of the most progressive/liberal large forums on the net, atheists are despised by most of the theists.

Can't even put up a sign trying to let other atheists know they are not alone without a substantial portion of DU having a conniption fit about it.

[cleanhippie]

4. Which to me, is even more reason to keep speaking out.

And I will.

[dangin]

5. Out atheist in Kansas

Think that is easy in a red state? Actually it is. I live in Lawrence where The University if Kansas is. We're the blue county.

I work in film and with universities and when I bring people in to my film studio as partners, interns or employees, I tell them. I won't discriminate against you for being an xian. But you won't be happy here because we make fun of religion and make films that are outright critical of religion.

When I have meetings with Christians who want to make religious films they always want me to believe their dogma. I point out that Mel Gibson used secular people and Jewish people on passion of the Christ. Use the best people you can find, not the best people in your congregation. They don't get it. Which is why their films suck and they are dying as a culture.

[Fumesucker]

6. I'm in Georgia and not in a blue area at all

Their culture may be dying but I damn sure don't see it here.

[dangin]

7. Southy

Even down south I think the attendance numbers are down. But I know you all have it hard down there.

[Curmudgeoness]

8. I live in an area that appears to be totally Christian.

They pray at Democratic meetings....nice long prayers. They are not tolerant when it is pointed out that this is not inclusive of the non-believers. I am told that everyone is a believer, so there is no one to be offended but me. I point this out to let you know that I am not in a liberal area (although these people see themselves as liberal in other areas). My boss has a portrait of the Virgin Mary hanging behind his desk that he kisses every night before he leaves. Others have Biblical quotes and other religious items in their offices. I am surrounded by Christians who are fundies.

I am open about my atheism, at work and at play. That is not an issue, although I cannot say that I am not considered their token liberal and token atheist (and token non-conformist all the way around). It is probably not an issue at work because I have never ridiculed them, or pushed my beliefs on them.

Most of the people who are my friends are also religious. They know I am not. We ignore the discussion, but they do not dislike me because of this.

I do know other atheists, but that is only because I have stated that I am an atheist.....and then they know that they can speak freely to me about their own lack of belief. They are in the closet, but they exist. They just are afraid of repercussions, just as you seem to be. It has amazed me how many people will admit that they are atheists if they know they will not be judged because of it.

It may not be as hard on you as you believe. I would say the most important thing is to start out with no judging or deriding of the Christians.....just statement of fact and drop the subject. I have only gotten less tolerant if people do know my feelings and continue to shove belief on me.

[Fumesucker]

10. So the Democrats don't care if you are offended when you let them know it bothered you?

That seems a rather uncaring attitude.

In fact I wasn't really speaking of myself, there's no one who doesn't know of my lack of religion who I care about at all beyond what I would for any person, I"m not exactly a hermit but I don't socialize all that much anyway.

[dimbear]

9. We need a TV show where out atheists do something fabulous.

That's the highroad to public acceptance.

[Ron Obvious]

11. I really don't care to be accepted.

I know my circumstances are different from most here because I'm retired now anyway and live in an area where my religious views are not a matter of interest to anyone. Others are not as fortunate in these regards, and I understand their need to keep quiet about their views.

But I personally don't care in the slightest to be 'accepted' or 'understood' by religious people. It rather amused me that my horrified in-laws thought I was Ted Bundy when I eloped with their daughter after I made my religious views clear. Fuck 'em. I don't need the acceptance of their kind. I'm literally the kind of person who wouldn't hurt a fly, but if my views on religion are enough to have some people think me evil., I'd rather be rejected than accepted by them. I wear their scorn as a badge of pride.

I always thought there was an element of pity in Christian acceptance. Don't like me? Fuck you. Life's too short to care.

[Phillip McCleod]

12. i'm amazed at how many comments on WashPost..

..echo the same refrains i've heard here.. that atheist are not actually discriminated against like gays are. i think there's aspects where that's true because it's apples-and-oranges to compare the who-what-when-where-why of discrimination and violence toward atheists and homosexuals. what doesn't seem apples-and-oranges to me is the 'coming out' part. once people start coming out there seems to be backlashes and counterlashes in increasing and then decreasing intensity as society nears acceptance.

homosexuals are decades ahead of atheists, and started out from an arguably more repressive rung on the social totem, but i think Herb is right.. a self-similar societal response is occurring as atheists come out along with others oppressed by religious beliefs set in legal stone.

..

thought experiment: if there was no outward difference between the races and genders, would the civil rights struggles of women and racial minorities have involved a 'coming out of the closet' stage?