On April 17th, Secular AZ joined a coalition of 19 other partners in signing the following letter to Governor Katie Hobbs. It requests vetoes of all legislation that targets LGBTQ+ youth and communities. Continue reading
Want to keep a secular democracy? Speak up at school board meetings
On March 9th, 2023, at a routine Peoria Unified School District (PUSD) board meeting, a flock of parents showed up, wearing shirts with phrases like “protect our children.” Throughout the meeting, parents hurled insults at the board, superintendent, and administration, violating the public comment code of conduct.
Useful Bible verses to quote to religious hypocrites
Do you know someone who thinks the Bible gives them a moral privilege to do things like discriminate against minorities or censor artistic expression? Here are a few choice quotes from their favorite book to throw back in their faces! Continue reading
Four historical legal facts about the “War on Christmas”
‘Tis the season for right-wingers to wallow in their persecution complex whenever a public entity acknowledges the existence of non-Christian beliefs! Continue reading
Federal report: human rights abuses flourish where freedom of belief isn’t protected
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom just issued a report revealing that when governments don’t rigorously protect freedom of belief, they create conditions leading to a slew of human rights abuses. Continue reading
The public must know the truth about health care sharing ministries
by Angela Manion
On July 11, 2022 Congressman Jared Huffman of California introduced H.R. 8324 (the Health Share Transparency Act of 2022) into the House of Representatives. The bill seeks to amend title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act, requiring health care sharing ministries (HCSMs) to disclose pertinent information regarding HCSMs to consumers. Continue reading
Courts Say Constitution Doesn’t Protect Churches from Lawsuits
School vouchers exposed… again
With just three weeks until the deadline to turn in signatures for Save Our Schools’ voucher expansion referendum, school vouchers are exploding on the news. Here’s why: Continue reading
No, abortion bans don’t help women
Secular AZ Legal Director Dianne Post just publicly shredded a major lie perpetuated by the religious right about abortion bans. Continue reading
Top four things to bring up when talking about school vouchers
We’ve been talking a lot with our neighbors lately about the issue of school vouchers. If there’s one thing we’ve learned after hundreds of these conversations, it’s this:
Not nearly enough people understand vouchers. Continue reading
AZ Democrats who voted for Christian nationalist bills in 2022
This legislative session, the Arizona State Legislature heard 27 bills that advanced religious extremist causes—including those that sought to indoctrinate children in public schools, discriminate for religious reasons, and give religious entities exemptions from a sweeping array of laws and public safety policies. Several were signed into law.
An unprecedented 24 Democrats crossed party lines to pass three such bills. Below is a breakdown of the bills and who supported them. Continue reading
The State of Secular Government in the 2022 Arizona Legislature
The Fifty-fifth Legislature tested whether the separation of church and state will change from constitutional protection to a constitutional violation. There are two cases to be made in the aftermath of this session. First, the state of secular government in Arizona is strong thanks to Democrats who mostly (though not always) heeded constitutional mandates barring the establishment of religion. Second, the state of secular government in Arizona is weak thanks to Republicans who are resolved to promote their faith in every area of public life. The outcome of the 2022 Midterm Elections will decide whether the state of Arizona is governed as a democracy or a theocracy—and it rests upon the civic participation of secular voters and citizens who value fundamental civil liberties.