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FFRF’s national convention lineup is set!
The speaker lineup is now set for FFRF’s exciting annual convention later this year in Myrtle Beach, S.C. We hope to see you there!
FFRF has recently added Harvard Professor Steven Levitsky as a speaker and has lined up a mini-performance by the Godless Gospel. For the tentative convention schedule, see Page 3. FFRF’s 48th national convention runs from Oct. 16-19 at the Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort, 10000 Beach Club Dr., Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Levitsky is professor of Latin American Studies and government and also director of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard. He is senior fellow at the Kettering Foundation and a senior democracy fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. He is co-author (with Daniel Ziblatt) of “How Democracies Die,” which was a New York Times bestseller and “Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point.”
Godless Gospel’s Mandisa Thomas, Cynthia McDonald and Candace Gorham will join FFRF Co-President Dan Barker for several songs.
Joining Levitsky and the Godless Gospel at the convention are these other confirmed speakers/ performers:
• Mary L. Trump, niece of President Trump and a sharp critic of the current administration, will receive FFRF’s Emperor Has No Clothes Award, reserved for public figures who make known their dissent from religion.
• John Fugelsang is an actor, comedian and broadcaster and host of “Tell Me Everything” on SiriusXM. His new book is “Separate Church and Hate: A Sane Person’s Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds.”
• Katherine Stewart, last year’s “Freethought Heroine” honoree, returns to talk about her chilling tour de force, a new exposé, “Money, Lies and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy.”
• Dr. Maggie Carpenter, a brave abortion rights activist under prosecution by Louisiana and Texas for dispensing medication abortion pills to patients there, will receive FFRF’s “Forward” Award.
• Jamelle Bouie, the distinguished New York Times columnist, will be given FFRF’s “Clarence Darrow” Award.
• Mubarak Bala, the Nigerian atheist and human rights activist recently released from prison in Nigeria after five years’ detention for committing “blasphemy,” will get FFRF’s “Avijit Roy Courage Award.”
• Nancy Northup is president of the cutting-edge Reproductive Rights Center, which is receiving FFRF’s Henry Zumach Freedom From Religious Fundamentalism” award of $50,000.
• Singer/songwriter Roy Zimmerman will perform his signature blend of heart and hilarity. His songs have been heard on HBO and Showtime, and his videos have garnered hundreds of millions of views.
• Ex-evangelical writer, speaker and advocate Chrissy Stroop will receive FFRF’s 2025 “Freethought Heroine” award. Stroop is a full-time writer and speaker with bylines in Foreign Policy, Playboy, The Boston Globe, Political Research Associates and other outlets.
• FFRF’s Regional State Manager Mickey Dollens, a seated state representative in the Oklahoma Legislature, will be speaking directly on the convention theme with his talk, “F.O.R.W.A.R.D.: Your Blueprint for Effective Citizen Lobbying.”
• The convention will also feature FFRF’s third annual panel made up of state representatives. Rep. Monique Priestley is a member of the Vermont House of Representatives (Orange-2 District), Rep. Heather Meyer is a member of the Kansas House of Representatives and Rep. Andy Smith is in his second term in the Minnesota House.
• Dr. Herb Silverman, who overturned South Carolina’s unconstitutional religious test to run for office, will give a short welcoming address.
• Bailey Harris, 19, is receiving the Diane and Stephen Uhl Out of God’s Closet Scholarship of $5,000, and Eli Frost, 18, is receiving the Beverly and Richard Hermsen Student Activist Award of $5,000.
• Other presenters include students winning FFRF 2025 essay competitions, and reports on the year’s highlights by FFRF Co-Presidents Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, by FFRF’s legal team led by FFRF Legal Director Patrick Elliott and Deputy Legal Director Liz Cavell, and by the legislative team, led by Director of Governmental Affairs Mark Dann and State Policy Counsel Ryan Jayne.
Five ticketed meals, including FFRF’s popular “NonPrayer Breakfast,” will be offered this year, more than usual, in part because — aside from two in-house restaurants — meal choices outside the resort will be limited, unless you have a car or use Uber. A small-capacity shuttle that can be ordered ahead can take some participants to nearby restaurant strips in Myrtle Beach.
Early birds can check-in on the afternoon of Thursday, Oct. 16, and enjoy light appetizers and a cash bar before relaxing on their own. The convention opens formally at 9 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 17, following a complimentary continental breakfast. Friday evening ends with the traditional complimentary dessert reception and cash bar. The convention runs through Saturday evening, with FFRF’s annual membership and state representatives’ meetings taking place on Sunday morning, Oct. 19, ending by noon.
Book your own rooms at the Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort, 800-876-0010 (option 3 for Hilton Myrtle Beach) identifying yourself as an attendee of the “Freedom From Religion Foundation Annual Convention” using the code “FFR.” Or find the online direct link under “Hotel Reservations” at ffrf.org/convention2025. The favorable off-season rate is $165/night plus tax for a standard room, reserved on or before Monday, Sept. 22.
Please turn to the back page for more details, menus and the registration form. Or register online at ffrf.org/convention2025.
The registration and cancellation deadline is September 30th, 2025 (Unless the event is sold out). Registration cancellations received after September 30th, 2025 cannot be refunded.
See information from past conventions
