Name: Claudette StPierre.
Where I live: Franktown, Colo. I was born in Long Beach, Calif., in 1963, near the end of the baby boomer generation.
Family: My husband Pat and our three dogs and one cat. I have two sisters and a niece and nephew. Fortunately, we are all freethinkers!
Education: I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1986 and have been practicing in the area of pediatrics my whole career, the past seven years as a nurse case manager at Children’s Hospital Colorado.
How I got where I am today: I was raised Catholic and attended Catholic school through 12th grade, always questioning the validity of many of the tenets of the religion. I read [Bart Ehrman’s] book Misquoting Jesus about 10 years ago, which was a turning point even though I was no longer a follower of religion at the time. It solidified my disbelief in religion.
Where I’m headed: I am now very passionate about the separation of church and state and hope to continue to advocate for this issue in my community. I also would like to see atheism “normalized” and help others understand that we are just regular folks.
Person in history I admire: Carl Sagan, a passionate supporter of science.
A quotation I like: Margaret Mead’s “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.”
Favorite things: Gardening, dark chocolate, red wine!
Pet peeves: Using unsupported facts and fake science to support an issue.
My doubts about religion started: When they told us in Catholic school that it was a sin to eat meat on Friday, but you could eat fish. My mom said when she was a child, they ate fish to support the local fishermen. Umm, who was right? Mom, of course.
Before I die: I would like to visit all the museums in Denver.
Ways I promote freethought: I am out of the closet when it comes to my atheism. If religion comes up in conversation or situations, I take the opportunity to educate others about what an atheist is and that we are part of society. I don’t make any apologies about it.
I am also president of FFRF’s Denver chapter.
