My speaking event with the University of Minnesota Morris Freethinkers was part of their Pride Week programming. It was great to be a part of that, and being part of the schedule brought in a good amount of new people to the meeting – and over half of the audience were women. If you want to increase the diversity of your atheist group, always consider partnering with other minority organizations.
There’s some overlap between the officers of the Freethinkers and their GLBT group, so they gave me their awesome shirt as a gift:
Definitely fine by me! Thanks, UMM Freethinkers – and good luck with your godless homosexual takeover of the student government.
The number of free T-shirts hanging in one’s closet is the only true measure of a (wo)man.
“If you were gay, that would be okay…” Want to partner up with us disabled folk next? There are plenty of Atheists and Agnostics in my disability group settings, and I assure you, we know how to raise hell and make catchy t-shirts along with our GLBTQ brothers and sisters.
“Gay? Let’s be friends! :D” seems like a slogan that’d sell fairly well.
Who hangs their t-shirts? Mine are all neatly folded in a drawer, thank you very much.Though, admittedly, I can’t think of any quite as awesome as Jen’s new shirt. (Though I am fond of “Stand Back – I’m going to try SCIENCE!”)
Completely unrelated, but it freaks me out how much you look like a woman I used to work with a couple of years ago, Jen… You don’t have any missing twins in the Portland area, do you?I want a shirt that says “Don’t like gays? Then stop sleeping with them.” Cause y’now… the big anti-gay activists always seem to get caught in a gay affair…
My great aunt lived in Portland before she recently passed away, but I don’t think any of my cousins are out there… I must just have a doppleganger.
Definitely. I think we atheists should go to gay and lesbian bars to socialize and spread atheism. Gay and lesbians are one of the largest minority groups that tolerate atheism and are more likely to dislike religious inhibitions. Pulling gays to our side, we’ll increase the non-religious market share by a good percentage.Feminism + atheism is another good strategy, too. ;-)
GLBTQ community is pretty awesome at working with other minority groups in most places. Welcoming of both atheists and theists, and only in a gay club would I get run over by two gay guys in a wheelchair race.
I have a shirt exactly like that one. I always make sure to wear it when I go vote because I live in a state that passed a constitutional amendment prohibiting same sex marriage and recognition of civil unions. Texas is the buckle of the bible belt (were it not for Texas, the bible belt’s pants would fall down.)The amendment passed by a 85% margin in my precinct. Oddly, nobody says a word to me at the polls when they see it. But in the privacy of the voting booth those same people didn’t hesitate to tell the state to discriminate against GLBT citizens.
Great shirt. Great blog. Keep doing what you’re doing….It really does make a difference!
I hangs my T-shirts, as drawer space is at a premium o’er at my place.
Yes to more shirts like this! I know people are afraid of wearing them sometimes but geez people, steel yourselves!http://blankmusings.blogspot.c…
We made a huge splash with these shirts at Notre Dame several years ago (except they were in bright, flaming orange). Something like a quarter of the campus was wearing them. Twas awesome.
I have to say, I like that their acronym is “UMM,” because it makes it seem like they’ve thought about it, and yes, they are still atheists. Awesome shirt! Even though I somehow missed your Blag Hag census, I guess we all need to work on getting a little bit gayer for you. I’m actually surprised that the men make up such a majority. Kinda awesome, though!