I am writing to let you know that after seven terrific years with American Atheists, I am leaving to begin a new position as Director of Nominations and Democracy with the National Women’s Law Center, where I will be focusing on nominations, court reform, and efforts to preserve our democracy.
Looking back at American Atheists’ advocacy efforts over these years, I can’t help but be inspired about all we have accomplished, even as we view the long road ahead to preserve our secular democracy. After two weeks of disappointing election results and dreadful cabinet nominations, it’s important to remind ourselves that progress is not only possible, it’s already underway.
I spent much of my career in the LGBTQ movement, so when I joined American Atheists, I was struck by how isolated the secular groups were – from each other and other movements. Since then, we’ve built relationships, opened lines of communication with new partners, and joined powerful national coalitions. Now, American Atheists is more connected than ever before. Those connections are vital if we are to end the stigma against atheists in America.
The secular community also lagged behind other civil rights movements in gathering data about who we are and what issues we face, but this information is critical when working with lawmakers and other power brokers. How else do we prove the discrimination atheists face, anecdotally, represents a real and much wider trend? So, in 2019, American Atheists conducted a groundbreaking scientific survey of nearly 34,000 atheists and nonreligious Americans. We published our data a year later and have referred to it again and again in court, in legislatures, and in the media to raise awareness about the breadth of experiences of atheists in America.
When I started my work here in 2018, I noticed there was little support for state-level advocacy at national secular organizations. At the same time, many local secular organizations were interested in advocacy but not sure where to get started. So, American Atheists decided to shift its agenda and build infrastructure and resources to support state and local advocates across the country.
We started by publishing the State of the Secular States Report, a comprehensive assessment of the positive and negative policies affecting church-state separation and religious equality in all 50 states. This regular analysis of state legislative trends is essential because it creates a benchmark for state law and offers a roadmap for advocates all across the country. (The seventh edition of this resource will arrive in January!)
Although much of our state legislative work has focused on stopping harmful bills, American Atheists knows it is not enough for us to play defense because our vision is only achievable by also advancing positive legislation. In Colorado, we worked hard to pass the Patients’ Right to Know Act, which requires hospitals to disclose to patients when they refuse services for nonmedical reasons, including religious opposition to reproductive or LGBTQ care. And in states like Minnesota, we are supporting recovery options legislation that will prevent the state from mandating religious substance use disorder treatment, which disproportionately impacts nonreligious people.
American Atheists has also won some impressive victories in court. We achieved a significant settlement for a family whose free speech was violated by Arkansas state senator and avowed Christian Nationalist Jason Rapert. And when the West Virginia prison system refused to parole Andrew Miller until he participated in religious substance use disorder treatment, we sued and won big: Not only is Andrew out of prison, but the state’s entire prison system was ordered to adopt new policies to ensure no other atheist is forced to engage in religious activities as a condition of parole.
America is facing a challenging time, particularly for those of us who are dedicated to fighting for civil rights and religious equality. However, we have made and will continue to make progress as a result of American Atheists’ leadership and the tenacity of our community. Although I’m leaving this organization, I am not leaving our secular movement. I will proudly retain my membership with American Atheists and will always be grateful to have played a part in the progress this organization has made to protect the separation of religion and government and to advance the civil rights of atheists.
I hope, like me, you will continue to support American Atheists. I have been fortunate to work alongside its staff, volunteers, board, and members for years, and I can tell you they are working devotedly and diligently to achieve a world where we can all live without religiously based stigma and discrimination. It’s a future worth fighting for.
Sincerely,
Alison Gill
Vice President, Legal & Policy
American Atheists is a 501(c)(3) non-partisan, nonprofit educational organization that relies on the support of members like you. Contributions are tax-deductible. Our Federal Tax ID Number is 74-2466507 and our Combined Federal Campaign number is 52217.
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