Daylight Atheism » Human Rights

Be Careful What You Wish For (Why I Hate Hate Crimes Legislation, But I Love Hate Speech)

Ebonmuse — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:20:18 +0000

By Sarah Jane Braasch-Joy

In loving memory of my baby brother, Jacob Michael Braasch (01/28/86 - 02/02/10)

I saw a woman in niqab on the UC Berkeley campus the other week. I was shocked. I didn't approach her. I didn't speak to her. She was with two other women in hijab, on the opposite side of a wide walkway.

But, I was shocked. And, appalled. Here was a woman (or, at least, I assume she was a woman), in the heart of what is arguably the most politically liberal ... [visit site to read more]

6 Ways Atheists Can Band Together to Fight Religious Fundamentalism

Ebonmuse — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 10:48:40 +0000

This essay was originally published on AlterNet.

If atheists were as politically organized as the religious right, we could accomplish a world of good in combating theocracy and standing up for human rights and secularism. But whenever an atheist political alliance is ... [visit site to read more]

Paving the Way for Equality

Ebonmuse — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 10:51:55 +0000

Wedding bells will soon be ringing in New York, thanks to the legislature's historic passage of marriage equality which goes into effect on July 24. And the echoes of that victory are still being heard. Soon after the passage of the NY bill, Rhode Island legalized civil unions, joining the several other states that have done so. (Despite the fact that the ... [visit site to read more]

The Contributions of Freethinkers: Asa Philip Randolph

Ebonmuse — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 18:54:45 +0000

The civil rights movement in America is often identified with Christianity. In large part this is because of the influence of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was a Baptist minister and worked the language and cadence of sermons into his most famous speeches - especially the famous paraphrase of the Book of Amos, "We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."

But the civil rights movement wasn't organized or led solely by Christians. ... [visit site to read more]

To Win, We Just Have to Show Up

Ebonmuse — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 10:55:28 +0000

In the wake of marriage equality's victory in New York State last Friday, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president Albert Mohler posted the following to Twitter:

Now, fully 1 in 9 Americans will live in a state with legalized same-sex marriage. Our mission field is getting more complicated.

On the surface, this is ... [visit site to read more]

I Am An Atom of Atheism

Ebonmuse — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 21:07:33 +0000

The blog Ungodly News has created a whimsical periodic table of atheism, and I was surprised and pleased to find out that I'm on it:

visit site to read more]

Love Wins

Ebonmuse — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 02:38:32 +0000

And tomorrow is a brand new day.

Congratulations, New York!

EDIT: It seems appropriate to repost these photos, which I took in 2009 at a visit site to read more]

Do the Right Thing, New York!

Ebonmuse — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 10:57:47 +0000

I wrote in May about the legalization of civil unions in Delaware (which has now been signed into law), and the ongoing push to pass a marriage-equality law in my own state, New York. Although New York already recognizes same-sex marriages performed in any of the neighboring states that allow them, passage of the bill would be a huge symbolic victory and would give more momentum to the national push for ... [visit site to read more]

Marriage Equality on the March

Ebonmuse — Tue, 03 May 2011 11:26:16 +0000

At the end of last month, the Delaware legislature voted to approve a civil union bill. If Democratic Governor Jack Markell signs the bill, as he's said he will, Delaware will become the newest state to grant same-sex partnerships all the same legal rights as heterosexual couples - joining, by my reckoning, ten others: Vermont, Connecticut, New Jersey, Illinois, Oregon, Washington, New Hampshire, ... [visit site to read more]

Pro-Family Christians Support Child Kidnapping

Ebonmuse — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 11:46:42 +0000

Yesterday, I came across a story that was so appalling I had to write about it. It shows the true depths of the Christian right's hatred for gay and lesbian people, and the lengths they're willing to go to - up to and including defying U.S. law - in the name of that hatred. (HT: The Wall of Separation)

The story in a nutshell: A same-sex couple in Vermont, Lisa ... [visit site to read more]

The Religious Denial of Aid and Charity

Ebonmuse — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 11:39:21 +0000

I wrote recently about the denial of emergency reproductive health care at Catholic hospitals, and I'm glad to see that this extremely important issue is getting media traction. There are two articles in the ... [visit site to read more]

The Abolition Spirit Is Undeniably Atheistic

Ebonmuse — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:21:29 +0000

Having written recently about what really caused the Confederacy to secede, I wanted to say some more about the topic. I've previously discussed the religious foundations of the CSA and how they repeatedly appealed to God and Christianity as a defense of the rightness of slavery, and I'd like to add some more ... [visit site to read more]