Action Alerts
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Media Inquiries
Please phone the Freedom From Religion Foundation office at 608/256-8900 to speak directly with Foundation Co-Presidents Annie Laurie Gaylor and Dan Barker or other staff here in Madison, Wis. We receive an especially heavy volume of e-mails and we don't want to miss an inquiry, so please phone to set up an interview, especially if you are on deadline. We would be pleased to try to answer your questions, or accommodate your request.
Current Action Alerts
Support spotlight on discrimination loophole for religious universities
Thanks to your support, a proposed bill that counters discrimination in higher education is now on the governor's desk—a mere signature away from becoming law! California universities run by religious organizations have been free to discriminate against students and staff based on their gender and…More »
Orange County Board of Education needs to stop prayer immediately!
The Orange County Board of Education's practice of opening its meetings with invocations must end. FFRF is asking local members to protest the practice at the next school board meeting on Oct. 5. The tradition the California school board has set up allows for interested…More »
Tell the Department of Health and Human Services to finalize rule to protect Planned Parenthood
We need to support a new rule issued by the Obama administration to protect the funding of Planned Parenthood from recent conservative assaults on women's reproductive rights. For the past year, Planned Parenthood has been enduring relentless attacks from members of the Religious Right and…More »
Tell Congress to pass clean Zika funding bill
Congressional funding for combating the Zika virus is being held hostage to anti-women politics. The Zika virus can cause dreadful brain damage, including microcephaly, to embryos and fetuses, as well as life-threatening reactions in some adult patients. The virus has spread around the globe, with…More »
Urge Congress to curb religious employment discrimination
A federal court in Michigan has allowed a religious employer to discriminate against a transgender employee because "the Bible teaches that God creates people male or female," and "that a person's sex is an immutable God-given gift and that people should not deny or attempt to change their sex."…More »
Commend Tennessee county commissioners for stopping land transfers to churches
The commissioners of a Tennessee county need to be thanked for stopping the giveaway of land to churches. The Shelby County Board of Commissioners had repeatedly transferred land to churches for nominal sums under a Tennessee provision that permitted this for nonprofits. For example, the…More »
Tell Senate that voucher schools must comply with the ADA
A congressional bill that seeks to limit enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) against voucher schools must be foiled immediately. On June 20, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., submitted an amendment to an appropriations bill that will, in part, establish the Department of Justice budget for…More »
Tell Congress: So-called ‘First Amendment Defense Act’ is anything but
A mistitled bill before Congress should be immediately scuttled. The perversely named First Amendment Defense Act (FADA) is a proposed bill that would legalize discrimination against people in same-sex relationships as long as that relationship conflicts with the religious beliefs of an individual, business or government employee.…More »
Support spotlight on discrimination loophole for religious universities
All right-thinking Californians should back a proposed bill that counters discrimination in higher education. Currently, California universities run by religious organizations are free to discriminate against students and staff based on their gender and sexual orientation, so long as the religious university claims that it…More »
Ask the Middleton City Council to end Jesus Lunches
Tomorrow, the Middleton City Council will meet to discuss what to do about the divisive Jesus Lunches that have taken place outside Middleton High School. The council will allow public comments on the issue. The organizers of the Jesus Lunch have rallied their supporters to…More »
Prevent Catholic Church from thwarting child sex-abuse bill
We need to prevent the Catholic Church from nixing a Pennsylvania bill that would strengthen the rights of child sex-abuse victims. Under House Bill 1947, victims would have until they are 50 years old, rather than 30, to seek legal redress. Of 195 members of the…More »
Urge Ill. governor to support bill restricting 'conscience-based objections' to healthcare
The Illinois General Assembly has sent a bill to Governor Bruce Rauner that would put limits on religious objections to providing health care and ensure Illinoisans have all the information they need to make the best decisions for themselves and their families. Religious health care…More »
Ask your senator to add atheists, “Nones” to Religious Freedom Act
Contact your U.S. senator, who sits on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, today! FFRF helped make history last year when it successfully lobbied to add atheism as a protected class in Madison, Wis. Now, the U.S. Congress is considering adding language to the International Religious Freedom…More »
Come join us to counter proselytizers
Please join us in Middleton to stop the religious misuse of a public park. As you must be aware, a parents' group has held weekly lunches at the Fireman's Memorial Park, adjacent to the Middleton High School, in which organizers have handed out bibles, engaged…More »
Protect religious freedom instead of religious privilege
Contact your Representatives today! Please take a moment to contact your U.S. representative to urge their support of the Do No Harm Act, introduced today in Congress. FFRF applauds U.S. Reps. Bobbie Scott of Virginia and Joe Kennedy of Massachusetts for their leadership in seeking…More »
Counter rightwing boycott over bathroom policy
We need to support Target in the face of a massive rightwing boycott over a new policy in which customers use the bathroom or fitting room that matches their gender identity. The Religious Right, led by the dogmatic American Family Association, has organized a boycott…More »
Keep ‘God’ out of your Pennsylvania public schools!
Theocratic legislators in the Pennsylvania Legislature are working to require that the words "In God We Trust" be posted in every Pennsylvania public school classroom and other school areas, and we need to stop them. House Bill 1640 was recently approved by the House, and now is…More »
NASCAR: Get off your knees and concentrate on racing
Turning left isn't just for the religious right. Did you know NASCAR imposes prayers on drivers and audience alike? Many of the prayers have been downright embarrassing. Last month, Phil Robertson, the star of "Duck Dynasty," turned his prayer into a political (and offensive) invocation.…More »
Contact Middleton city authorities to stop misuse of public park
Please contact the city of Middleton, Wis., to stop the religious misuse of a public park. For the past couple of years, a parents' group has held weekly lunches at the Fireman's Memorial Park, adjacent to the Middleton High School, in which organizers have handed…More »
Stop a discriminatory Tennessee bill!
The Tennessee Legislature recently passed a bill that allows religious therapists to discriminate against LGBTQ clients and anyone else they deem to conflict with their “sincerely held principles.” Please ask Gov. Bill Haslam to veto it. The bill explicitly prevents the state’s Board of Licensed…More »
We need a National Day of Reason
A California congressman is trying to make our country see reason, and we need to fully support him. Rep. Mike Honda of California (along with co-sponsor Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton of the District of Columbia) recently introduced a resolution to observe May 5 this year as the…More »
Keep “God” out of your Pennsylvania public schools!
Theocratic legislators in the Pennsylvania House are working to require that the words “In God We Trust” be posted in every public school classroom and other school areas. Unfortunately, House Bill 1640 passed the House Education Committee yesterday, and is due for a full vote…More »
Oppose taxpayer subsidy for private schools
Let New York City know your opposition to a new law providing public funding for security guards at private schools. "Starting Friday, April 1, New York City will be paying for one security guard for every private school with 300 to 499 students and for…More »
Tennessee on verge of making bible official book
A toxic, unconstitutional Tennessee bill declaring "The Holy Bible" the "official state book" is on the verge of becoming law. Help FFRF ensure that Gov. Bill Haslam vetoes it. Shockingly, Senate Bill 1108 was approved 19-8 by the Tennessee Senate on Monday and will now head to Haslam's…More »
Tennessee again pushing ‘Holy Bible as state book’
The Freedom From Religion Foundation needs your help to combat a toxic, unconstitutional bill working its way through the Tennessee state Senate: Senate Bill 1108, declaring "The Holy Bible" the "official state book." Last year state Rep. Jerry Sexton and state Sen. Steve Southerland introduced…More »
Oppose intolerant Nebraska bill
An intolerant Nebraska bill should be stopped from becoming law. Legislative Bill 975, which was approved by the Judiciary Committee of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature on March 21, would legalize discrimination by foster care and adoption agencies in the name of religious freedom. The bill…More »
Oppose Kentucky bill that legalizes discrimination
A Kentucky bill that has just cleared the Senate would legitimize bigotry in your state. Senate Bill 180 could legalize discrimination aimed at LGBT individuals, single mothers, interfaith and interracial couples and other vulnerable groups by providing for a religious exemption. The bill places a whole…More »
Urge governor to veto discriminatory Georgia bill
A bill seeking to blatantly legalize discrimination is now before the Georgia governor, who can and should be persuaded to veto it. The Georgia Legislature recently passed an amended version of House Bill 757. Even though some of its most objectionable features are no longer…More »
Stop a bunch of bad Tennessee bills
Tennessee is considering a number of dreadful bills that need to be opposed. The first is House Bill 2379, a bill limiting marriage solemnization to religious figures. Tennessee's House Civil Justice Subcommittee recently reviewed HB 2379, the so-called "clergy-wedding only" bill, which would require all marriages…More »
Stop Idaho legislators from gutting the state constitution
An attempt by Idaho legislators to permit vouchers to support religiously segregated schools could severely damage the state's public school system. House Joint Resolution 1 would initiate the amendment of the Idaho Constitution to allow "appropriations, payments, grants or donations of public funds or moneys for…More »
Kentucky bill could permit bible indoctrination in public schools
A Kentucky bill could pave the way for the state's public schoolchildren to be biblically indoctrinated. Senate Bill 278 has just been passed by the Kentucky Senate in a 35-3 vote and is now before the House. The bill orders the Kentucky Board of Education to…More »
Stop horribly discriminatory Georgia bill!
A bill seeking to blatantly legalize discrimination is pending before the Georgia state Assembly. The Georgia Senate passed on Feb. 19 a bill named the First Amendment Defense Act that has already cleared the Assembly (House Bill 757). The bill "actually takes Indiana's Religious Freedom…More »
Speak out today against misguided church Christmas tree bill!
An unnecessary bill to carve out a special right for churches is pending before the Wisconsin state Senate. AB 648, introduced by ultraconservative Sen. Stephen Nass, would prohibit any local government "from enacting or enforcing an ordinance, related to fire safety that prohibits the seasonal…More »
FFRF makes Ohio schools superintendent stop religious tweets
The Freedom From Religion Foundation recently compelled an Ohio schools superintendent to discontinue posting religious tweets on his official Twitter feed. Dalton Local Schools Superintendent James Saxer was tweeting overtly religious messages on his school account, such as "What an amazing way to end a…More »
South Dakota bill legalizes discrimination
A South Dakota bill that just passed the state House and is currently before the state Senate would legalize blatant bigotry. House Bill 1107 states that "the state may not take any discriminatory action against a person, wholly or partially, on the basis that the person…More »
Obama must nominate Supreme Court replacement
With the death of Antonin Scalia leaving a vacancy on the Supreme Court, President Obama has the chance for a pivotal nomination to swing the court back toward reason and civil rights. The Freedom From Religion Foundation — and the nation — have been crippled…More »
Mississippi bill wants to make bible official book
A bill currently in the Mississippi Assembly would consecrate the bible as the state's official book. Amazingly, state Rep. Tom Miles has introduced House Bill 840, designating "The Holy Bible" as the "official state book." Even more shockingly, he's found nine co-sponsors. Miles claims, "We…More »
West Virginia bill wants to allow the religious to discriminate
A bill is making its way through the West Virginia Legislature that would give legal protection to any person (or corporation) who chooses to discriminate or otherwise break the law in the name of religion. A vote is likely in the Assembly tomorrow. You are…More »
Virginia’s “Kim Davis Bill” legitimizes religious bigotry
A pending bill in your state would legalize discrimination in the name of religious freedom. We need to stop it. SB 40 would permit officials to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples. "The clerk or deputy clerk shall not be required to issue a marriage…More »
Upper Midwest Action Alert: Thank a Wisconsin Mayor
The mayor of a small town in Northern Wisconsin recently made the right decision to remove In God We Trust stickers from the township's police cars in response to a Freedom From Religion Foundation request. Please let him know how much you appreciate his support of the First…More »
Tennessee Action Alert: Protect children’s health
You have an opportunity to rectify a grave injustice by lending your support to proposed state bills that protect children from serious medical harm. Tennessee has a religious defense for felony crimes against children. This has led to instances of deaths or major complications in…More »
Virginia Action Alert
You have an opportunity to rectify a grave injustice by lending your support to a proposed state bill that protects children from medical neglect. Virginia has a religious defense for felony crimes against children, including manslaughter, and religious exemptions to child negligence in the civil…More »
Oppose Georgia “religious freedom” bills set to privilege religious majority
Georgia legislators filed three bills this month designed to privilege the state's Christian majority at the expense of the rest of its citizens. HB 837 is the scariest bill, one of the misnamed "Religious Freedom Restoration Acts." It is meant to exempt religious citizens from generally…More »
Ask Tenn. legislature to drop voucher program bill
Tomorrow, the Tennessee legislature's Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee will hold a hearing on HB 1049, a bill that proposes implementing a program that would give certain students public money to fund tuition at private, primarily religious schools. Not only do voucher programs divert public money…More »
Ask NYC to drop support for religious schools
The Freedom From Religion Foundation today protested the allocation of nearly $20 million per year in taxpayer money to private schools, including religious parochial schools, in New York City. Mayor Bill de Blasio signed the bill into law yesterday, Jan. 5. The money is designated for…More »
House ‘Merry Christmas’ Resolution panders to paranoid Christians
A new resolution filed this week in the House of Representatives tilts at windmills and perpetuates the Christian persecution myth. House Resolution 564 would achieve nothing if passed, but the bill has accumulated 36 co-sponsors who want to pander to their religious constituents this holiday season. The…More »
Urge Obama, Saudi king to stop insane sentences
FFRF is asking members and supporters to join PEN American Center's efforts to press Saudi Arabia's King Salman to immediately release the poet Ashraf Fayadh, who has been sentenced to death by beheading last month, and the writer Raif Badawi, who was sentenced to 10…More »
Tell Saturday Evening Post: Nothing fails like prayer
In the November/December issue of the Saturday Evening Post, contributing writer Ellen Michaud writes of “The Power of Prayer,” the magazine’s cover story. Earlier this year, AARP published an article called “The Paradox of Prayer: A Pilgrimage” in its magazine. The Freedom From Religion Foundation…More »
Tell Wadena, Minn. to stop displaying nativity
The Wadena, Minn., City Council has set a time to discuss whether or not to display a nativity scene on city property this year, in response to the Freedom From Religion Foundation's objection to the annual display. Staff Attorney Patrick Elliott sent a letter to the city in January 2015…More »
Accept the City of El Dorado's invitation to promote nontheism
FFRF has now sent three letters to the City of El Dorado, Arkansas, asking them to stop posting daily bible verses and otherwise promoting Christianity on city Facebook pages. In response, a city alderman told a local media outlet that the Facebook pages are open…More »
Action Alert! Protest ‘unconstitutional and grossly offensive’ Tenn. resolution condemning gay marriage
The Freedom From Religion Foundation today sent a letter to the Blount County Commission in Maryville, Tenn., which is poised to consider a resolution tonight "condemning judicial tyranny and petitioning God's mercy." Resolution 15-10-006 declares that "federal judges have once again usurped powers not delegated to them, and…More »
Urge La Crescent City Council to take down unconstitutional cross
The La Crescent (Minn.) City Council has set a special public listening session for October 13 to discuss what will be done with a cross and star that sit on city property and are lit up at Easter and Christmas. FFRF complained about this endorsement of religion last summer.…More »
Action Alert: Pray to Play exposé riles up Ala. Legislature
Alabama State Rep. Craig Ford has proposed a new bill seeking to authorize football team chaplains at state public universities. The bill is a direct response to the Freedom From Religion Foundation's report, "Pray to Play: How Christian coaches and chaplains are converting football fields into mission fields."…More »
Tell NC Governor to Veto Bill to Place Billy Graham Statue in Statuary Hall
Yesterday, the North Carolina General Assembly unfortunately passed House Bill 540, which approves the placement of a statue of Billy Graham to represent North Carolina in the United States Statuary Hall. The bill is now before Governor Pat McCrory for approval. The Graham statue would replace…More »
Take opportunity to critique federal “faith-based initiative”
You have a chance to influence proposals that federal agencies are poised to adopt concerning "faith-based organizations (FBOs)," most of which strengthen accountability under the "faith-based initiative" originally created by George W. Bush. The Freedom From Religion Foundation has taken the lead in opposing the…More »
Action Alert: Condemn N.Y. Health Board decision OK’ing unrestricted ritual circumcision
The New York City Board of Health last week recklessly decided to abandon the only inadequate restriction it had over controversial ritual Jewish circumcision. The board, fulfilling a so-called priority of Mayor Bill de Blasio, voted last week to repeal its requirement of informed consent…More »
Ask IRS to stop favoring churches over other non-profits
The Internal Revenue Service and Treasury Department are seeking public comment about the Form 990, which secular non-profit organizations are required to file each year to retain their tax exemption. The 990 informational return requires non-profits to report their annual gross income, disbursements and other tax information…More »
Urge Calif. governor to support right-to-die bill
Over opposition from the Catholic Church and others, the California Assembly on Wednesday passed a bill that would allow doctors to prescribe life-ending drugs to the terminally ill. The bill now heads to the California Senate, where it is expected to pass. According to the L.A. Times,…More »
Comment on USAID’s New Faith-Based Organization Regulations by September 8, 2015
In 2010, Obama signed an executive order to alter the guidelines for government partnerships with faith-based organizations (FBOs). Earlier this month, the Obama administration announced proposed rule changes for nine federal agencies regarding the federal government's partnership with faith-based organizations (FBOs). The changes are the result of…More »
Atheist writers being picked off in Bangladesh
A week ago Niladri Chatterjee, alias Niloy, was hacked to death by four assailants wielding machetes in his home in Dhaka, Bangladesh, making him the fourth secular writer or blogger slain in that country since February. A group named Ansar Al Islam claimed responsibility, sending…More »
