The Lack Of LGBT Atheists

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by ms. charlie blackwolf on April 16, 2010 at 8:44pm

Try on Facebook and see if you get any results. I tell them all I'm an Atheist. Peace and Love!!!!

Permalink Reply by Robyn MacPhee on April 16, 2010 at 10:40pm

We certainly exist, I'm trans (m2f) and pansexual.

Permalink Reply by Charles Schmitt on April 17, 2010 at 5:28am

I agree with Robyn, we do exist as I'm also trans and m2f as well. As far as the proliferation...this might be the best site to find them, but I think there's a pretty good amount on facebook, it just takes some looking around.

As to your questions:

"Do you think atheists are generally more welcomed in the LGBT community than they are among heterosexuals?" This is a hit or miss, and from my experience, they haven't cared.

"If you're an LGBT atheist, have you found more support from heterosexuals or the LGBT community?" I've honestly found more from the LGBT community than heterosexuals...especially people that I used to call friend

"Have you found more support for your atheism from heterosexuals or the LGBT community or is it about the same?" It's been about the same for me, but that's cause I've surrounded myself with others who are also atheists

"What do you think can be done to increase the visiblity of atheists in the LGBT community?" Blogs that draw positive attention (something I'm trying to do just finding a lack of topics to write on at the moment), podcasts, I wouldn't really trust radio, print, or tv news media as the generally broadcast ones tend to skew LGBT individuals in a negative light, in particular the trans part. Granted that it has been getting better, but it still isn't for the best.

Permalink Reply by Friend of Dorothy on April 17, 2010 at 9:17am

I think you hit it on the head when you said "Vocal", I have found, in general, people are far more in the closet about being a non-believer in talking snakes,than about being Gay. This is due to the stigma of daring Not to believe in patently silly and unprovable dogma, and openly stating so. Especially in America (Europe is far more socially advanced), homosexuality is openly touted by all religious groups to be about the worst thing that you can do (after all you do Choose to be Gay, right), but there IS a slow creeping advancement of rational thought concerning Gay rights, and scientific evidence that even the Bible thumpers are finding difficult to dispute that homosexuality is partly if not completely genetic. Atheism is terrifying to the believers. You are the Devil's spawn, not just fornicators, but much much worse. I am a senior citizen and have seen amazing progress in Gay rights, though we have miles to go. But almost no advance in open discourse about Atheism. It was not until the 4 horsemen, Dawkins, Dennett, Hitchens and Harris came on the scene, that finally, we had visible buoys to cling to that gave credence to our own unbelief. I have no problem telling my co-workers I am Gay but am hesitant discussing Atheism, because I know in advance the reception I will receive to that. So vocality is the hurdle for us to bridge, I agree, and I for one will do my part in being open about not only my Gayness but proudly be open about my Atheism as well....wish me luck. I did buy and occasionally wear a Dawkins Red A tee shirt.:)

Permalink Reply by Prog Rock Girl on April 17, 2010 at 10:05am

Even if there aren't that many glbt atheists (I've come across pretty many), I find (most) atheists being very supportive of gay rights and very vocal about it. Back a few decades ago it seemed people were afraid to speak too loudly for gay rights b/c people might think they were gay, but people don't have this insecurity so much anymore.

It could be that the reason it seems to not be that many glbt atheists is that they blend in more in a culture without adversity. Not that I'm saying they go back into the closet, but it is accepted and not treated as a big deal, and so people don't have to be as vocal, and if something is accepted, it doesn't stand out as much.

I've seen a lot of glbt people get into paganism b/c they think it is a more accepting religion, but accepting or not, it's still untrue--and I do sense a little heterosexism in paganism with its symbolic male/female dichotomy. (Homosexuality is not thought of as wrong; just inconsequential.)

Being taboo in one's religion could lead one to question one's religion, but it seems to make a lot of other people pick and choose, or argue from a different view of the religion, or (sadly) disguise themselves or try to change who they are. It seems a lot of people still want to believe in something. Although I think there are also a lot of gay "apatheists" who just don't care one way or the other.

The best way to get visibility for atheists is to argue why religion is false. In convincing people there isn't anything wrong with being gay, I think it's more effective to say the religion is not true at all than to just argue about the interpretation of the religion.

Permalink Reply by Eric on April 17, 2010 at 7:05pm

And even though there's lots of religious organizations out there that are targeted at the LGBT community, I can't seem to find any such orginizations for LGBT atheists.

Actually there are and have been such groups.

There's a Gay Atheist Meetup group right now in Royal Oak, Michigan, I've attended 2 meetings of that group and I'm still on their email distribution list. They're called the Gay/Atheist Meetup (http://www.meetup.com/Gay-Lesbian-Atheist).

I was a member of Gay Atheists, which was headquartered in San Francisco, some 20 years ago. The founder died from AIDS and everything owned by Gay Atheists was given to American Atheists (because the founder of Gay Atheists was friends with Madalyn O'Hair). They had a monthly newsletter you can find now in some gay lit archives.

I was also a member for one year of the DC chapter of Gay and Lesbian Atheists and Humanists (GALAH). I think the DC chapter is gone now though I'm not sure about that, but the original GALAH chapters were in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and you could check in LA and SF, they could still be there. GALAH's website may still be online, I haven't looked in a while.

There's a gay atheist group in England (don't remember the name of it), I think I once or twice came across their website, the European journal for gay atheists that's on atheistnexus, Gay & Lesbian Humanist, might be the journal of that group. The DC chapter of GALAH's website, the last time I checked their website a year ago, it connected directly to the gay atheist group's website in England and the original page for the DC chapter of GALAH is now gone, but I'm not sure why they did that.

And of course there's the Gay Atheists group on atheistnexus that you just posted to.

There's also the Yahoo Groups for Gay Atheists (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gayatheists).

Permalink Reply by James Croft on April 19, 2010 at 12:00pm

Welcome Neon Genesis! Good to have you here. I am a gay atheist, and I am very vocal about both, mostly through my editorship at TheNewHumanism.org, an online magazine published by the Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard. I am working on a piece on LGBT Atheists, Skeptics and Humanists right now, in fact, and would welcome your input.

As for organizations, the American Humanist Association is right now putting together an LGBT Council, the website of which you can find here: http://www.lgbthumanists.org/

Hope you find a happy home here. Best of luck!

James.

Permalink Reply by Little Name Atheist on May 2, 2010 at 7:05am

I haven't noticed a lack of BGLTQIOMGWTF atheists, but then I spend most of my quality acronym soup time on Atheist Nexus. When I was first here, it seemed like there weren't many of us, but now it seems like there are more. I was harassed briefly by someone who got it into their head that I'm a male trying to pass myself off as female, but he seems to have left the site. I don't think that would go over well now. It seems a lot of people, including myself, didn't quite understand what was and wasn't acceptable behaviour here.

Given how much religion persecutes the LGBT community, one would expect there to be a lot more LGBT atheists out there, but does it seem like to you that there's a serious lack of LGBT atheists, especially vocal activists?

Honestly, I've only become aware of the length and breadth of atheist activism in the last few years, and was a bisexual activist some years ago. I suspect people might focus on one or the other. I'm already volunteering with four different groups/organizations; I can't handle more. Vermont (my state) has so few people living here relative to other states that getting together local atheist groups has been my priority. I suppose I should dig out my button collection and wear a bi button to local atheist events.

How many authors are there out there who write books on LGBT issues from a freethought position versus the numerous gay Christian authors?

This is a very good question. I don't know. I have thought about reviving my old online journal, but I don't want to just write about queer issues from a freethought position. So many interests, so little time. I'm pretty sure Greta Christina occasionally works something in about being an acronym soup atheist, as she lists herself as living with her wife.

Maybe we should make a list of BGILTQ atheist writers (including online journalists, journalers, authors, etc...? Might be a good subject for another discussion. Also, a groups list. It would be a good thing to have a list of resource links in the info. section of the group. This discussion has been a good start, as some of our very own group members are writers.

Do you think atheists are generally more welcomed in the LGBT community than they are among heterosexuals?

Not in my personal experience, but my personal experience since I've been a semi-out atheist (last 13 years) is limited.

And even though there's lots of religious organizations out there that are targeted at the LGBT community, I can't seem to find any such orginizations for LGBT atheists.

Aren't there caucuses, or sub-groups within some of the big atheist organizations? I've been so busy/distracted elsewhere that I haven't had time to look.

I"ll attempt to get back to this and respond to the rest.

Permalink Reply by Eric on May 19, 2010 at 8:31am

BGLTQIOMGWTF atheists - very cute acronym! :-)

Permalink Reply by The Flaming Pi on May 17, 2010 at 1:58am

Actually, it's surprising how many people I can find who accept my being queer yet do not accept my atheism. Even in at local LGBTQ events sponsored by various centres there are very few atheists and few people accepting of atheism. Yet, somehow, Toronto has an "ecumenical" church that involves "people of all religions, including atheists". I have never met another LGBT atheist. Homophobic and heterosexist atheists, I've met them.