This is some amazing news for atheists and non-believers in Utah. The Utah Democratic Party has approved a secular caucus for the first time in state history. It will be officially established by vote in February.
Utah Democrat and caucus co-founder Daisy Thomas said:
“The idea of creating a Secular Caucus has generated a lot of excitement and enthusiasm amongst Democrats and Independents in Utah. We are receiving dozens of messages of interest and positive feedback thanking us for bringing this voice to the table. We want people of all beliefs, including nonreligious Utahns, to have the same opportunity to shape politics in our state, and we believe a clear separation between church and state protects all of our freedoms.”
A large portion of the Democratic party is made up of non-believers. This caucus will finally give them a voice for their secular policy ideas. Separation of church and state should be important to everyone, but at least it might get addressed now.
Larry T. Decker, Executive Director of the Secular Coalition for America said:
“The Democratic party can no longer take nonreligious voters for granted, their future depends on us… If the Democratic party wants to keep nonreligious voters within its ranks, it should seek to elevate their voices, not to disparage them by making light of the very real stigma they face. The Democratic party can do better, and nonreligious Democrats deserve better.”
This move in Utah was inspired by a similar group in Texas. They managed to get three atheists’ proposals added to the state’s Democratic Party platform:
- They repealed religious exemptions on child protection laws.
- They got rid of language that barred secular people from holding office.
- They supported secular reproductive healthcare policies.
As an atheist in a red state, I would love to see more representation for us in government. We are Americans, and we want our voices heard as well. We need to fight against the religious extremists who would love to take away our rights and chip away at the separation of church and state.
This is the kind of treatment atheists in Utah have to deal with:
Featured image via Twitter.
