Washington, DC — Today the Secular Coalition for America released a statement applauding Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA) for publicly announcing that he is a nonreligious humanist.
Statement by Larry T. Decker, Executive Director of the Secular Coalition for America
“I want to thank Rep. Huffman for his honesty, his integrity, and his courage. Every lawmaker who is open about their nontheistic identity helps to combat the stigma we face and bring visibility toward the nonreligious community, the largest and fastest growing religious demographic in the country. We are patriotic Americans who live by our deeply held secular values. We are your neighbors, your coworkers, your friends, and, increasingly, your lawmakers. It is our hope that Rep. Huffman’s example will give more elected officials the courage to be open about who they are and inspire more openly nontheistic Americans to run for office.”
“This simple act by Rep. Huffman carries tremendous power. While a record number of Americans (one-in-four) identify as having no religious affiliation, there remains an unfortunate and painful prejudice against us. This results in a de facto religious test that prevents nonreligious Americans from running for office and keeps many elected officials from being open about their lack of faith. By announcing that he is a humanist, Rep. Huffman joins the dozens of openly secular lawmakers across the country whose success as elected officials is changing hearts and minds.”
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Contact:
Casey Brescia
Communications Associate and Spokesman
[email protected], (845) 380-6201
The Secular Coalition for America is the nation’s premier advocacy organization representing atheists, humanists, agnostics, and other nontheists. Its mission is to increase the visibility of and respect for nontheistic viewpoints in the United States, and to protect and strengthen the secular character of our government as the best guarantee of freedom for all. The Secular Coalition represents 18 voting member organizations.
