Democratic Women of the Prescott Area Luncheon with Jeanne Casteen
On September 16 at 11:00am, Secular AZ’s Jeanne Casteen will speak at the Democratic Women of the Prescott Area Luncheon.
Click here for more information and to register.
Prescott Centennial Center
989 Wineglass Drive
Prescott, AZ
Let’s Talk Arizona Politics and Elections with Julie Gunnigle and Jeanne Casteen
Join us on September 11 at noon as we welcome attorney and activist Julie Gunnigle and Jeanne Casteen, Secular AZ Executive Director, to discuss Arizona’s upcoming elections, politics, the legislature, and more.
Click here to watch this virtual presentation.
Voter Choice Arizona with Ray Kimball
Join us Friday, October 31, at 12p (PST) to learn more about Voter Choice Arizona and the benefits of final five voting.
Watch this virtual presentation on Secular AZ’s YouTube channel.
Voter Choice Arizona is a non-partisan group of mostly volunteers with a mission of educating Arizona voters about how better ballots will improve elections, give them more voice and more choice, and lead to better outcomes for our state.
To learn more:
To learn more: https://voterchoicearizona.org/learn/ – Use this link to find basic information through our website, blogs and helpful videos.
To volunteer: https://nb.voterchoicearizona.org/volunteer – There are many ways to help bring about election reform.
To find Voter Choice Arizona events: https://nb.voterchoicearizona.org/calendar – Check out our calendar to find trainings, presentations, volunteer opportunities, and social events
To donate: https://voterchoicearizona.org/donate/
Unity Rising USA: Jacob George
Join us Friday, November 21, at 12p (MST) to learn more about Unity Rising USA with Executive Director Jacob George.
Click here to watch this virtual presentation on Secular AZ’s YouTube channel.
Unity Rising is a youth-led organization working to build the power of young, working-class people through grassroots organizing, voter registration, and bold, simple messaging. Unity Rising works to empower students on college and high school campuses to challenge far-right extremist narratives, mobilize their communities, and become the next generation of elected officials who will work for justice, democracy, and an economy that works for everyone. Learn more about Unity Rising.
Jacob George is dedicated to ensuring representation for working-class people and youth. While in high school, he worked multiple jobs and spent many nights sleeping in his car. He is currently a student at Arizona State University, attending through grants and scholarships. As a Phoenix-area resident, Jacob decided to run and win his seat on the Balsz Elementary School Board to fight for the educators who fought so hard for him. He became involved in politics and has gained valuable experience running numerous Democratic campaigns and working with nonprofit initiatives—experience that will help propel Unity Rising across Arizona. As the founder of Unity Rising, he is committed to taking on Turning Point and amplifying the voices of working Arizonans. With the critical 2026 election approaching, Jacob believes in the power of grassroots action to shape a future that works for everyone.
Stand Up for Senator Ortiz and the First Amendment
September 3, 2025
Defend Free Speech and Stand with Senator Analise Ortiz
In recent days, Arizona State Senator Analise Ortiz has come under fire for exercising her right to free speech on social media. Her posts, which criticized ICE, have sparked outrage from extremist groups who are now attempting to silence her voice.
Let’s be clear: Senator Ortiz is a secular star and a champion for justice. She has stood with communities across Arizona, advocating for policies that protect our freedoms and dignity. And now, extremists, many of whom shout the loudest about “free speech” when it benefits them, are working overtime to limit hers.
The Bigger Picture: Religious Extremism and Xenophobia
What we are seeing is part of a larger pattern. Religious extremists in Arizona have fueled an agenda that conflates their narrow worldview with public policy. That agenda often manifests in xenophobic rhetoric and punitive immigration enforcement. Now, when a courageous public servant speaks truth to power, these same voices attempt to censor her.
This is not about partisanship. This is about principle. Free speech is not reserved for the powerful; it belongs to all of us, including those who challenge injustice.
Why We Must Speak Up
If extremists succeed in silencing Senator Ortiz, it sends a dangerous message to every community leader, activist, and everyday Arizonan who dares to speak out. We cannot allow this chilling effect to take hold.
Senator Ortiz has shown up for our most marginalized and vulnerable communities and citizens time and again, including advocating for:
- Free school meals
- Affordable housing and tenant protections
- Services for families in need
- Protections for LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities
- Consumer protections
- Mental healthcare
- Election integrity and voter access
Senator Ortiz has consistently stood up for working people in Arizona, those who face daily struggles to make ends meet, who deserve fair wages, affordable housing, and dignity in their workplaces. She has fought to keep and expand access to quality health services in Maryvale, ensuring that families in one of the most underserved areas of Phoenix are not left behind. She has championed young people striving for a better future, pushing for investments in education, opportunity, and pathways to success.
Again and again, Senator Ortiz has been a voice for those who are too often ignored or silenced. Now it is our turn to raise our voices for her.
What You Can Do
We need our community to rally in support of Senator Ortiz. Here’s how you can help:
Make calls and send emails: Contact your elected officials to express your support for Senator Ortiz’s right to free speech. Share your concern about attempts to censor her voice. Find your legislators here.
Spread the word: Post on social media, talk to your networks, and remind others that free speech is for everyone…not just for extremists.
- Like and Repost the following Instagram and TikTok posts. Share them in your stories:
- Like and Share/Quote Post on Bluesky and Facebook with your own message of support, asking others to join:
Our Commitment
At Secular AZ, we are committed to defending democracy and protecting the rights of all Arizonans to speak freely, without fear of intimidation from religious or political extremists. Senator Ortiz embodies that courage, and she deserves our support.
The same amendment in the United States Constitution that protects freedom of (and from) religion also protects free speech, because you can’t have one without the other. Together, we can send a clear message: Arizona stands with leaders who speak truth, and we will not allow extremists to silence them.
In solidarity,
Iain Hamp
Secular AZ Board Chair
Action Alert: 6/24/25
June 24, 2025
Let’s just sum it up quickly: the Arizona Legislature is a hot mess.
With just days to go before the June 30 deadline — and a government shutdown — the GOP-controlled legislature is still wasting everyone’s time engaging in infighting. In a nutshell, the Republicans in the Senate (kind of) worked with Dems and the Governor to pass a budget and declared sine die, the Republicans in the House didn’t work with anyone and passed their own budget, no-one likes the stop-gap continuation budget, and everyone is mad about all of it.
Meanwhile, our state’s already-last-in-the-nation public education system circles the tank to the tune of $3 billion, thanks to Doug Ducey’s tax cuts and handouts to universal vouchers. Making matters worse, the leg failed to pass Prop 123 (in large part because Repubs tried to tie teacher pay to voucher expansion), further increasing budget woes. Because no bill is ever dead until the budget is signed, be ready to contact your representatives.
Masked federal agents are taking immigrants as they leave court hearings. Those who are less at risk of being targeted by ICE are needed to stand up and offer protection to our neighbors. Borderlands Resource Initiative and Puente offer rapid response trainings on how to help. More info and trainings here.
As you’re likely aware, religious extremists have been making a concerted, organized effort to take over school boards in order to push a Christian nationalist agenda. The Stand for Children Fellowship teaches you how to organize, engage with school boards, and push back effectively. Click here to learn more and apply.
Action Alert 6/16/25
June 16, 2025
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Arizona Legislative Update with Camaron Stevenson of The Copper Courier
Join us on June 6 at noon (PST) for an update on the Arizona State Legislature with The Copper Courier’s Camaron Stevenson.
Click here to watch on Secular AZ’s YouTube channel
Camaron is the Founding Editor and Chief Political Correspondent for The Copper Courier, and has worked as a journalist in Phoenix for over a decade. He also teaches multimedia journalism at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. Subscribe to Camaron’s Beltway News here.
Working Families Party AZ
Join us Friday, September 12, at 12p (PST) to learn more about the Working Families Party with special guest Parris Wallace.
Click here to watch this virtual presentation.
The Working Families Party is building their own party on top of the two-party system in the United States . WFP organizes outside the two parties, and then recruits and trains people-powered candidates up and down the ballot and run them to win. More about WFP.
Action Alert: 4/27/25
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Action Alert: 4/13/25
April 13, 2025
As the Legislative session starts to wind down toward budget negotiations, a few bills that violate church:state separation as required by both the U.S. and Arizona state constitutions remain up for a vote.
One particularly egregious bill is SB1269. Sponsored by Sen. Wendy Rogers (R-LD7) — known for her praise of white nationalists, for perpetuating the racist conspiracy theory known as the “great replacement” theory, and for saying that church:state separation is a “myth” — SB1269 would allow schools to replace trained school counselors with volunteer religious chaplains.Rep. David Marshall (R-Snowflake) explained his support for the bill by saying, “I think Jesus is a lot better than a psychologist.” And Rep. Matt Gress (R-LD4) said “I’ve heard that there is a mental health crisis afflicting kids. Now I don’t necessarily think in many of these cases that something is medically wrong with kids. I think, perhaps, there is a spiritual deficit that needs to be addressed.”
However, in reality, volunteer chaplains’ religious training doesn’t mean they are professionally equipped to handle the many issues that come up in school counseling, such as depression, anxiety, abuse, self-harm and suicidal ideation. As Secular AZ Legal Director Dianne Post put in a letter to the Education Committee:
The issues of children in school are a real-world problem that require a real-world solution, not a plea for nonexistent supernatural intervention. Chaplains as the answer is an admission you intend to do nothing meaningful or practical to help children.
An amendment proposed by Gress would have made this bill even more harmful, adding language that assures that only members of majority religious groups would be “qualified” to participate, eliminating members of minority or less-well-funded religious groups.
School administrators can exclude chaplains if their pedagogy differs from that of the school or do not acknowledge “the existence of… one or more supernatural entities” that have “power over the natural world.” This (purposefully) vague language would eliminate atheists, Humanists, and The Satanic Temple from participating (TST has already requested to serve as chaplains if the bill passes.)
SB1269 clearly violates the Establishment Clause… and it’ll be on the House floor on 4/15/25. Contact your own representatives and tell them you oppose this bill. If you want to write your representatives, here are tips and a template to make it easier for you.
Other bills that violate church:state separation.
- SB2058: Exempts adult students from vaccine requirements based on personal beliefs, not science. Not based in science/facts; public health hazard.
- SB2063: Schools must tell parents about ways to be exempt from vaccine requirements. Not based in science/facts; public health hazard.
- HB2062: Would remove gender-related terms in AZ law and replace with sex-related terms, effectively erasing trans, non-binary and intersex people.
Contact your own representatives and ask them to oppose:
- SB1256: Prevents state agencies or contractors from providing or requiring DEI in hiring, training and promotion, and promotes white Christian nationalism.
- SB1584: Forces public schools hiring policies to be based solely on “merit” and encourages individuals to sue for claims of reverse racism. Would lead to discrimination based on religion, sexual orientation, etc.