This One's for the Rural Freethinkers

We've got your back!

Happy June, and more importantly, HAPPY PRIDE, Secular Fam! 

Have you ever noticed that when evangelical extremists try to make memes to promote their bigotry, they somehow fail in the most fabulous way? 

I love that for them. 

This month, I had the privilege to attend two Pride events in rural spaces, and it was so energizing! One of our goals is to get out as much as possible to areas in Arizona outside of Maricopa County. So if you live in a rural area and are involved with a rural advocacy organization or are interested in starting a secular group in your area, please, let us know! 

Be sure to check first to see if we have a liaised group in your area, because Secular AZ partners with several state-wide secular groups. Most of them are social, many are service-oriented, and a few get involved with secular legislation. Check them out! Especially if you’re in an area where you feel like you’re the only atheist/agnostic/humanist in your county. 

When a representative from GLSEN told me that they were going to be in Bullhead City for Pride, I was IN! Somehow, I managed to trick a good friend from Flagstaff into meeting me there, and it was super-cute when we were on the phone together and she realized that Bullhead City has essentially the same weather as Phoenix.

I won’t disparage the hotel where we stayed, but my friend dubbed it the “Murder Hotel” for reasons.

Despite our best efforts, we DID NOT get murdered, so that was nice. 

We had big goals. Bullhead City is right on the Arizona-Nevada border across the river from Laughlin, NV. So we were ready to lean into Laughlin Life. We knew we wanted to try gambling, and we wanted to go to an all-you-can-eat buffet. For some reason, as Americans, we figured these should be our goals. Again, I will not name the casino restaurant where we indulged in one of the worst buffets I’ve ever been to, but I learned an important lesson: all-you-can-eat buffets really probably shouldn’t be a thing. 

We gambled for a hot second, and I gave the casino a total of $30 before we felt super-ick and decided to find a lounge. There was an amazing cover band, and we enjoyed singing with them at the top of our lungs. Alcohol may or may not have been involved. 

So the next morning, we stepped over the bodies at the Murder Hotel to make our way to Rotary Park for the 2024 Bullhead City Pride event. In case you don’t know, June in Arizona is hot. Thankfully, the park was located right along the Colorado River, so there was a lovely breeze under the giant ramada at the park. 

The booths consisted of local artists and vendors, the Mohave County Democratic Party was there, GLSEN and other LGBTQ advocacy groups were there, and of course a few food vendors. We were joined by a Secular AZ Board Member, Karen McClelland, who just happens to be an awesome pro-public education school board member in Sedona. She’s a real Arizona treasure. And not that it matters, but she always has the most beautiful jewelry.  

Speaking of school boards, it seems that some school board candidates are worried about Christofascist backlash, and we’re getting a lot of declined RSVPs for our school board candidate forums. I thoroughly enjoyed these forums we did in 2022, but let’s be honest: the evangelical extremists refuse to participate, and now, because of the extremist bullies, many of the pro-public education candidates are declining too.

If you know of a school board race where candidates would like a chance to show how they will defend the Constitution, let us know!

I really had no idea what to expect at Bullhead City Pride, but Secular Fam, I was so impressed! They had a stage where a string of talented performers kept all attendees fabulously entertained throughout the day. I spent some time with the Mohave County Democratic Party and we lamented over the truly monstrous elected leadership they have to deal with. 

But I guess if we’re trying to find a positive here, at least they’re not represented by Arizona’s own J6 Insurrectionist, CD8 Congressional HopeNOPEful, Newly Indicted Fake Elector, Arizona’s Biggest Manbaby, recently reprimanded Nazi sympathizer, fluent speaker of “tongues” (also known as Shamala Hamala), AND Mama Fratelli Look Alike, Senator Anthony Kern (R-LD27). 

At least the good people of LD27 will not be subjected to another term with this guy, but also, the choices there are 👀. 

There was one small group of “Christians” who decided to set up a canopy (at the absolute HOTTEST point in the day, I might add) and have a prayer circle directly across from the Pride event so that was a choice. 

At the end of the day, a bunch of young people came to the table who said they were big volunteers and supporters of the Bullhead City Pride Center. In a former life, I was a high school & middle school teacher, and I really miss it. Despite all the really small-minded Christofascists’ proclivity to call educators  “groomers” or “pedophiles,” we teach because we truly love children. And not in an evangelical pastor or Catholic priest way, but in a regular, normal, non-abusive way. Wild, I know! 

Hey, has there been any big news about evangelical pastors being predators lately? Yeah? In Texas, you say? Trump’s spiritual advisor, you say? 

I’m sure his congregation is renouncing this behavior and demanding his arrest! /s

Where was I? Oh yeah! These young people were so inspiring! Also, their stories were harrowing. Almost all of them spoke about how they came from families that essentially rejected them. Most also spoke of their religious upbringing, indoctrination, and varying flavors of abuse they were subjected to.

Most frequently, the reasons their families gave for rejecting them (sometimes rendering them unhoused or threatening to kick them out) was their blind faith in their interpretation of their Christian god. I looked up the religious makeup of Mohave County, and the vast majority of believers are Christian. 

One of the kids said they ended up leaving when their family insisted on using religion to get them to denounce their “sin” (essentially conversion “therapy”). And then that young person just gushed about the presence of the Bullhead City Pride Center. At that point, each of them practically sparkled. The way their faces just lit up as they eagerly waited to share their stories of love and acceptance that came from the founder of the nonprofit was lovely. 

This organization came to be after a queer student in Mohave County took their own life because of bullying. The founder doesn’t necessarily want or need accolades, and frankly, I don’t want to contribute to some evangelical extremists’ need to be assholes, so I’ll keep it brief. 

Even just typing this, I’ve got goosebumps and feel emotional thinking about the courage it takes to stand up for your community in rural spaces. As I was leaving, the young volunteers were setting up yoga mats for some HOT (and I do mean “hot,” Secular Fam) yoga, and I felt so peaceful, knowing that there are caring adults in Mohave County who act as a beacon of hope to the youth there who encounter a whole bunch of darkness. 

Also, we no longer have any secular groups in Mohave County, so if you want to try to find your secular/atheist/humanist/agnostic comrades (someone’s head is exploding at the use of that word) in the northwestern area of Arizona, let us know!

The following weekend, I traveled to Cochise County in rural, southeastern Arizona. This time, the destination was Bisbee, Arizona. Bisbee is the county seat in Cochise County, which is home to assorted, bigoted, elected Christian nationalists. 

Bisbee gives off this groovy, kind of artsy, vibe - vastly different from Bullhead City. But it’s still a very rural space. And the religious population in Cochise County is even more homogenous than Mohave County. The top two religions are Catholicism and Mormonism (LDS). 

I’ll be honest, Secular Fam. Bisbee Pride is my favorite in the state. There’s something special and inspiring about it. I mean, when you drive to Bisbee from Phoenix, you have to drive through Benson, St. David, and Tombstone. In my experiences these towns are hella fundamentalist. 

Driving through these towns, I’ve seen the prairie dresses hanging on a rack for a thrift store sidewalk sale. 

Driving through these towns, I’ve seen the churchgoers entering the (F?)LDS temple in prairie dresses, with parades of children in tow. 

Driving through these towns, I’ve seen the “Trump Store” where he’s depicted as a gunfighter (but it’s totally not a cult, guyz!). 

It’s gross. BUT! Bisbee is different. Bisbee, AZ resembles a European village. It’s an old copper mining town with beautiful 100-year-old bungalows built on the sides of mountains. The masonry and architecture are worthy of an entire day of wandering the town. 

BUT! 

That’s not why I was there. I was there to be an ally to the rural queer community in AZ. Last year, there was one “Christian” family, a man, his wife, and their adult son, who were screaming into a bullhorn and holding a banner with their hateful interpretation of the bible printed on it. Apparently, there were haters there this year, but I heard that the private security firm that Bisbee Pride hired got rid of them pretty quickly. 

So much goes into planning these events, and I want to give a big shout out to the organizers because they worked their booties off all weekend. And really, to the LGBTQ community members and allies in rural areas, thank you! You’re making such a huge difference in peoples’ lives!

I met a lot of great people in Bullhead City and Bisbee this year, but there was someone I met this year that reminded me how important it is for Secular AZ to be present in rural spaces. One of my favorite things that happens when I table sometimes is that little *click* that happens when people read our banner. Once they get who we are, and it *clicks* they make a beeline to sign up for our newsletters. 

A woman named Kelsey beelined right over to our booth, and we talked for nearly 20 minutes. She had moved to Sierra Vista from Maine, and in two years, hasn’t found the godless heathens in her area. Lucky for her, there’s a group in her area aptly named the Sierra Vista Freethinkers. She was so happy to see us there that she shed tears, and she confirmed for me that our goal of expanding into rural spaces is an important one. I loaded Kelsey up with some bumper stickers because sometimes a bumper sticker or a t-shirt can be just the conversation starter you need to find your people. 

So if you’re a secularist in a rural area of Arizona, go ahead and share your beliefs with others. LordT knows that the other side does. Wear that “I’m an atheist and I vote” shirt. Slap that “SecularAZ” or rainbow bumper sticker on your car. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: 

They are loud, but we are many. 

And the reason they’re so loud right now is because they KNOW their numbers are shrinking. Why do you think they want total control over their children? Why don’t they want any accountability for religious schools? Why are they banning books about anyone that doesn’t look and think just like them? It’s all about power and control. 

Don’t give it to them. Stand up. Fight back. Be loud.