FFRF awarded Cassidy $500.

By Cassidy Taggart

I am a part of the portion of Gen Zers today that identify as religious Nones, and for a reason that I feel many of us can identify with.

I grew up as an autistic queer person in a small town that was suffocatingly Christian. I was ostracized and bullied for being queer, often by the kids from the more religious families. I watched others receive the same treatment as well.

The bullying had gotten to me when I was younger, and I eventually confided in a friend that I was considering harming myself. When I was in a classroom with her sometime later, she had announced to the whole class what I said, and she and another student told me — in these exact words — “You will go to hell for being suicidal.” No concern, no sadness, nothing but the most virulent hatred coming from their mouths.

Through the most critical years of my life, I was taught about my worthlessness under this supposed God that I never really learned about, to the point where I would end up rejecting it altogether in adulthood.

Funnily enough, I witnessed the same people who would reject queerness under the guise of religion come to embrace it later on in life, while straying further away from what they initially believed as children. In fact, this isn’t an uncommon occurrence. Findings from the Public Religion Research Institute show that 28 percent of Gen Z adults identify as LGBTQ-plus, nearly twice that of millenials. On top of that, studies from the Pew Research Center have found that only 52 percent of Gen Zers are non-Hispanic white, with the rest of the population identifying as a racial minority.

As the members of the generation of today become more diverse, they are less likely to conform to the rigid standards that religious majorities in the United States may try to impose. Internet access is most definitely an aid in this.

Research done by Aislinn Addington, discussed in the book “Organized Secularism in the United States,” suggests that online exposure has made young atheists find like-minded people to counteract any religious pressure to conform and further stray away from religious standards. As the internet has become more accessible with its insurmountable loads of unrestricted media and content, young people have been more able to identify the injustices within their country, how they suffer from them, and what they are able to do about it.

The resulting radicalization of Gen Zers toward left-wing politics is a net positive for the country when you consider that the United States government is steadily becoming more influenced by Christian nationalism: An Alabama Supreme Court justice cites biblical moralism in his reasoning for the decision on the living status of frozen embryos used for in-vitro fertilization; the Supreme Court opinion on the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that resulted in the subsequent overturning of Roe v. Wade was largely approved by conservative Christian justices; and a lesser-known national religious psychological operation is being performed by several conservative Christian lawmakers and organizations to steadily ban transgender health care across the country and criminalize the existence of transgenderism.

As the lines separating church and state become more blurred, and as efforts to blur these lines become increasingly extreme, we need proper pushback to ensure the stability of our people’s rights. The new generation that will be replacing the older lawmakers in due time may be fit for the job.

A divorce from the intolerant status quo suggests that Gen Zers are more willing to stand up for themselves and what’s right. If we keep holding our ground and refuse to tolerate intolerance, we may be able to win the fight against the Christian nationalism sweeping our government.

Cassidy, 21, attends Rutgers University where she is majoring in biological sciences.

“I am a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society,” Cassidy writes. “I attended Atlantic Cape Community College from 2022 to 2024 and received an associate’s degree in general studies, graduating with highest honors. I was chosen to represent the school as a member of the 2024 NJ All-State Academic Team.”