Greetings, EllenBeth! I'd like to invite you to a group where we talk about anything on our minds, Hang With Friends. :D

I forcefully contacted religion editor Mark Oppenheimer of the New York Times about your experience and got a reply to forward the name of the paper, which I did.  He may be interested in pursuing the story.

Hi Miss Ellen,

Thanks for the note and for the friendship. A Villanova atheist graduate? Very interesting! How did it feel to be a non believer among so many strong believers? I fortunately went to a liberal college (U of MD) for my undergraduate work. It is nice you have a free thinking group to belong to where you live. I belong to the Free Inquiry Group of Southwest Florida down here. Too bad your not a little closer you could come to our meetings. Perhaps one day we could coax you to come down and talk to our group about your activites in Lakeland? Hope you will stay in touch. John Paul

Ellen Beth said: "Thanks very much for the welcome! It's actually maybe not so coincidental timing that you happen to bring up the "proud to be an atheist" idea as that is one of my goals in the new chapter of the Atheists of Florida that we are forming in my area. I am tired of being scorned and ridiculed and for it to be seen as okay to do so. We are one of the last remaining groups that it is socially acceptable to belittle and insult."

You speak well.
I am proud. You are proud. We should all be proud, above all because we are right whereas the theists are not only wrong but moronic and pathetic at the same time.
So do add your comments to those on the proud-to-be-atheist discussion.