Four attorneys from three major secular organizations are launching a monthly podcast — the only legal affairs show for atheists, agnostics and humanists hosted completely by female lawyers.
“We Dissent” will discuss religious liberty in federal and state courts and the work these attorneys do to keep religion and government separate. The co-hosts are Rebecca S. Markert, legal director at the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Elizabeth Cavell, associate counsel at FFRF, Alison Gill, vice president for legal and policy at American Atheists, and Monica Miller, legal director and senior counsel at the American Humanist Association. A promo for the podcast was unveiled this week.
The podcast will explore religious liberty cases currently before the U.S. Supreme Court and at other federal courts across the country. The attorney hosts will also discuss other advocacy work undertaken to help atheists and other nonreligious people outside the courtroom. The first episodes tackle Supreme Court cases involving the constitutionality of public funding for religious schools, flying a Christian flag at Boston City Hall, religious liberty and the death penalty, as well as state legislative advocacy. These episodes are expected to drop in May.
The co-hosts explain how “We Dissent” is filling a void.
“We came together because we want to raise the voices of women lawyers in the secular movement,” remarks Markert. “We realized that there are a lot of podcasts on atheism and on the law, but most of them are dominated by male voices.”
“This podcast will showcase the incredibly talented women behind a lot of the work to keep religion and government separate,” says Cavell. “Most of our organizations are run by and/or were founded by women, and we want to carry on the tradition of powerful women making change in this space.”
“Nonreligious women are a growing and politically engaged population, yet they still too often face ridicule, negative stereotypes and marginalization with their families, in broader society and even within nonreligious communities,” states Gill. “Abortion and other issues that impact women are unquestionably secular issues.”
“The Supreme Court’s religious-based decisions have dire consequences for women throughout our nation, in terms of reproductive health care, LGBTQ+ rights, and basic civil liberties,” comments Miller. “As secular women lawyers, we work hard to help protect an important founding value of the United States: the separation of church and state.”
We Dissent is available wherever you get your podcasts. The podcast’s website is we-dissent.org. You can also keep up to date with We Dissent on Facebook by clicking here or follow us on Twitter @we_dissent.
Tune in next month for a podcast that offers scintillating legal insights — from a unique perspective.
