News from the Week Oct. 17 – Oct. 21, 2022

Friend:

If we’re to save our democracy and the freedoms we cherish, we need a national recommitment to the separation of church and state. And we need to reclaim religious freedom to make clear it protects all of us and is not a license to harm others. You’ve heard me say this many times now.

To advance these goals, Americans United is collaborating with our allies to launch the 2023 Summit for Religious Freedom – a new conference that will be the hub for our collective fight for religious freedom, church-state separation and all the issues that depend on them. SRF is a big tent – we’re welcoming everyone from longtime advocates to those just discovering the issue and its critical role in protecting our democracy, our equality and our rights.

The full SRF program will take place April 22-24, 2023, in person in Washington, D.C., along with a curated selection of live-streamed keynotes and workshops to make the event accessible to all. SRF also will be boosted throughout the year by virtual activities that respond to current events and continue community networking (look for more information about the first virtual webinar in November).

You can learn more here: [link removed]

And if you sign up now ([link removed]) during the early-bird discount period, you’ll save money on your registration fees. (If you’re an AU member, you should have received an email on Monday with a special offer – check your spam or reply to this message if you didn’t receive it).

To make our recommitment a reality, we need as many supporters as possible advocating for church-state separation as the shield that protects religious freedom and so many other issues we care about – reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ equality, public education, racial justice and much more. SRF is our platform to engage new and longtime supporters to grow our movement.

I really hope you’ll join me at the Summit for Religious Freedom. Only by coming together, like SRF enables us to do, can we overcome the dangers of this unprecedented moment.

See you at SRF!

Rachel K. Laser
President and CEO


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Extremist Pastor In Tenn. Plans Night Of Book Burning
Pastor Greg Locke's burning of books is a supreme manifestation of the ignorance he champions, and it is bound to fail, because while you can burn a physical book, it's much harder to kill the ideas within it.
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Bowing To Christian Nationalists, An Ark. School District Has Banned Two LGBTQ-Themed Books
At a meeting that included a pastor saying LGBTQ people deserve death because “God gave them over to a depraved mind,” the public school board also passed several anti-LGBTQ policies.
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Register Now For Americans United’s Summit For Religious Freedom!
The Summit for Religious Freedom will pull together allies and defenders of religious freedom to combat threats to separation of church and state.
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A Va. School District’s Policy On Transgender Students Exposes The Cruelty Of Christian Nationalism
A Virginia school district's anti-transgender policy was put in place after a pressure campaign led by right-wing fundamentalist Christian parents.
READ MORE>> [link removed]

Get Involved—Check Out AU’s Upcoming Events:
Find additional details and a full list of events at [link removed]

April 22, 2023 - April 24, 2023 (Virtual & In Person): The Summit for Religious Freedom (SRF) is a collaborative conference that will unify supporters, activists, organizers, policy and legal experts, academics, political and religious leaders, and committed people of faith and of no religion to fight for religious freedom. Sign up here: [link removed]


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