Secular AZ's Commitment to Fighting for LGBTQIA+ Equality
Because Secular Government Protects Us All
As this year’s Pride month comes to an end, America finds itself sliding farther into a Christofascist oligarchy.
Those in power manufacture culture wars to distract us from the very real class war they are waging against working families and really just about anyone other than the billionaires empowered and emboldened by this fascist regime. And like with so many other fascist regimes, members of the LGBTQIA+ community have been scapegoated, marginalized, and outright targeted across America by our own weaponized government.
We want to speak plainly: The fight for LGBTQ+ rights is not optional for the secular movement. It is essential.
When the same forces that seek to impose religious doctrine on public life also target LGBTQ+ Arizonans with hatred, discrimination, and erasure, we cannot afford silence. We know that true religious freedom includes freedom from religion in our laws, schools, and policies. That means standing unequivocally with those whose identities are under attack.
To be secular is to fight for a society where everyone can live with dignity and authenticity, regardless of whom they love or how they identify. The fight for separation of church and state is inseparable from the fight for queer liberation. If we do not show up for LGBTQ+ people, especially trans youth who are bearing the brunt of today’s extremist agendas, we have failed our mission.
At Secular AZ, we are proud to be a home for people of all backgrounds, beliefs, and identities. We will continue to advocate, organize, and resist until Arizona is a place where no one’s rights are up for debate. Together, we are building a future grounded not in dogma or fear but in justice, reason, and radical love.
In 2023, Secular AZ adopted the Secular AZ Resolution in Support of Transgender & Gender Non-conforming People. As an organization which strives to lead with the most vulnerable members of our community in our minds and our hearts, we reaffirm that unwavering solidarity and support for the LGBTQIA+ community and the First Amendment rights of every Arizonan.
In solidarity,
Jeanne Casteen, Secular AZ Executive Director
Iain Hamp, Secular AZ Board Chair