Join the Freedom From Religion Foundation on the eastern shore for its 48th annual convention from Oct. 16-19 at the Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort at 10000 Beach Club Dr., Myrtle Beach, S.C. 29572.
Zimmerman, Stroop join convention lineup!
The Freedom From Religion Foundation has added two more voices to its exciting lineup for its annual convention later this year in Myrtle Beach, S.C.!
Singer/songwriter Roy Zimmerman and ex-evangelical writer, speaker and advocate Chrissy Stroop will take to the stage at FFRF’s 48th national convention at the Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort, 10000 Beach Club Dr., Myrtle Beach, S.C., which runs from Oct. 16-19.
Zimmerman will perform his signature blend of heart and hilarity. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Roy’s songs have been heard on HBO and Showtime, and his videos have garnered hundreds of millions of views. He’s just released a new album — his 11th as a solo artist. “Roadmap” is a collection of classic social justice songs re-imagined for this fraught moment in our history. Tributes include from Joni Mitchell (“Roy’s lyrics move beyond poetry and achieve perfection”) and Tom Lehrer (“I congratulate Roy on reintroducing literacy to comedy songs”).
Stroop will receive FFRF’s 2025 “Freethought Heroine” award. Raised evangelical, Chrissy Stroop was sent to culture-warring Christian schools that demonized queerness, abortion and anything viewed as “liberal.” She earned a Ph.D. in modern Russian history from Stanford University, which she put to use as both a classroom instructor and a senior research associate with the University of Innsbruck’s Postsecular Conflicts project that investigated international right-wing networks. Stroop is now a full-time writer and speaker with bylines in Foreign Policy, Playboy, The Boston Globe, Political Research Associates and other outlets. Her newsletter, The Bugbear Dispatch, explores American politics and society through the lens of an ongoing moral panic of which Stroop, as an out transgender woman, is a primary target.
Joining Zimmerman and Stroop at the convention are these other confirmed speakers:
• 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” weekdays on SiriusXM. His new film “Dream On,” examining the American Dream, features 200 interviews in 55 cities. 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.
• FFRF’s new 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.” With real-world stories and actionable tips, Mickey will offer hope and a clear path to influence policy at the grassroots level.
• Speaking of secular state legislators, the convention also will host FFRF’s third annual panel made up of such 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. 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.
• Two student activists: Bailey Harris, 19, who is receiving the Diane and Stephen Uhl Out of God’s Closet Scholarship of $5,000, and Eli Frost, 18, who 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.
Other speakers will be announced in subsequent issues and online at ffrf.org/convention2025.
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” 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.
Registration and cancellation deadline is September 30th, 2025 (Unless the event is sold out). Registration cancellations received after September 30th, 2025 cannot be refunded.
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