August 11th, 2016
Nonreligious and LGBTQ Movements Come Together as Political Allies
For Immediate Release
Contact: Ron Millar, rmillar@cfequality.org, 202-238-9088 ext. 201
(Washington, DC, Aug. 11, 2016)—The Freethought Equality Fund Political Action Committee is proud to endorse the nation’s first openly transgender candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives from a major political party: Misty Plowright, who is running for Colorado’s 5th Congressional District.
The Freethought Equality Fund PAC makes this announcement shortly after the Democratic National Convention, at which the party’s LGBT Caucus passed a resolution that recognized the value and ethical soundness of the religiously unaffiliated community as well as the importance of a partnership between the religiously unaffiliated and the LGBTQ community in fighting against religiously-based discrimination.
“Legislative efforts to allow businesses to discriminate against LGBTQ employees and customers on the basis of religion are a form of religious privileging by the government,” said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the Freethought Equality Fund. “The nonreligious and LGBTQ communities must stand together to protect our true civil liberties from these so-called ‘religious freedom restoration acts’ that actually undermine our freedoms. This includes supporting LGBTQ candidates who will defend the separation of church and state.”
The Center for Freethought Equality and the Freethought Equality Fund PAC will continue to work with its allies in the LGBTQ community and in other social movements to ensure the separation of church and state as well as to advance public policy based on reason and science. Plowright has guaranteed their support to uphold secular government and ensure that the rights of humanists, atheists and religious unaffiliated individuals are respected.
Misty Plowright is seeking election to the US House of Representatives in Colorado’s 5th Congressional District. She won a competitive Democratic primary on June 28 to become the first openly transgender nominee for federal office, along with US Senate candidate Misty Snow of Utah, of a major party. Although organized religion plays no role in her personal life, Plowright says “freedom and equality for all belief, including secular ones, are of the utmost importance to me.” Her personal beliefs and political platform demonstrate a “commitment to the idea we must take care of each other and our planet.” She knows first-hand the debilitating effect of limited resources on food security, health care and education, which make it difficult to even image the potential for a decent life. Plowright’s policies will help people succeed by instituting a living wage, universal single payer health care and assistance with college tuition. In the general election she faces Republican incumbent Doug Lamborn.
More information about the candidates endorsed by the Freethought Equality Fund PAC can be found here.
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The mission of the Freethought Equality Fund (FEF) is to change the face of American politics and to achieve equality by increasing the number of open humanist and atheists, and their allies, in public office at all levels of government. FEF supports progressive candidates who are strong advocates for the separation of religion and government and the protection of American’s civil liberties. FEF is affiliated with the Center for Freethought Equality, which is the advocacy and political arm of the American Humanist Association. To learn more about the Freethought Equality Fund, visit Facebook and Twitter.
