This Week's Actions

 
March 28 is the last day for House bills to be heard in the Senate and vice-versa. That means NOW is the time to speak up against attempts to force white Christian nationalism/Project 2025 on Arizona. For each of the bills below, we note whether you can  log into RTScontact committee members, or contact your own representatives:

  • Oppose SB1537Would establish taxpayer-funded transitional housing that proselytizes evangelical Christian-based religious beliefs. Use RTS and contact members of House Health and Human Services Committee today.
  • Oppose SB1002Would require educators to obtain written parental permission before using a student’s chosen pronouns, if they don’t match student’s biological sex at birth. This bill targets trans students (who already face higher risk of harm) and politicizes teachers. Use RTS and contact members of House Regulatory Oversight Committee before Tuesday. 
  • Oppose SB1003Would prevent students from using the bathroom, locker room, sleeping facility, etc. that aligns with their gender identity. Trans and non-binary students would face bodily scrutiny, and public schools would be exposed to lawsuits. Use RTS and contact members of House Regulatory Oversight Committee by Tuesday.
  • Oppose HB2058: Exempts adult students from vaccine requirements based on personal beliefs, not science. Not based in science/facts; public health hazard. Use RTS and contact members of Senate Education Committee by Wednesday. 
  • Oppose HCR2037: Makes it legal to posses automatic rifles, sawed-off shotguns and silencers based on a “God-given right” to possess “weapons of war." Use RTS and contact members of Senate Government Committee by Wednesday.
  • Oppose HB2868: Would ban trainings/education about certain minority or marginalized groups. Leads to racism, bigotry and hate while privileging other groups. Use RTS and contact members of Senate Government Committee by Wednesday.
  • Oppose SB2063: Schools must tell parents about ways to be exempt from vaccine requirements. Not based in science/facts; public health hazard. Use RTS and contact members of Senate Education Committee by Wednesday. 
  • Oppose HB2700Requires curriculum with a "specific focus on the Gulf of America" for high school graduation. This is not a real thing. Use RTS and contact members of Senate Education Committee by Wednesday.
  • Oppose HB2724: Requires schools to cooperate with indoctrination/recruitment efforts by “patriotic youth groups,” including presentations during instructional time, posters hanging in schools, etc. Schools cannot deny a group/speaker based on mention of religion. Use RTS and contact members of Senate Education Committee by Wednesday
  • Oppose HB1463: Requires initiative petitions to include separate descriptions and summaries of any existing statutes that might conflict with or be impacted by the initiative. This is an attempt to thwart the will of the voters in passing Prop 139, which restores abortion access, by vastly increasing administrative burden; would result in referendums being thrown out. Use RTS and contact members of House Federalism, Military Affairs and Elections Committee by Wednesday.
  • Oppose SB1584:  Forces public schools hiring policies to be based solely on “merit” and encourages individuals to sue for claims of reverse racism. Would lead to discrimination based on religion, sexual orientation, etc. Use RTS and contact members of House Government Committee by Wednesday.
  • Oppose SB1586: Requires medical professionals to pay the costs for those who received gender-affirming care as a minor, and later want to “gender detransition” and “reclaim their God-given gender.” Retroactive for 25 years after the care was received. Use RTS and contact members of House Government Committee by Wednesday.

Thank you for raising your voice in defense of the Constitutional requirement of separation of church and state. 

 
 
 

We had so much fun — and learned a lot, too — when Bethany Brookshire, PhD, joined us last week! Dr. Brookshire is an award-winning science journalist who talked about her book Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains. 

There's truly something for everyone to enjoy in this engaging presentation, so be sure to check it out on the Secular AZ YoutTube channel. 

Click here to watch Dr. Brookshire's presentation

 

This Friday, we're excited to welcome guest speaker Jaclyn Friedman, Founder and Executive Director of EducateUS, where she’s building a movement for universal sex education, including an affirmative standard of sexual consent.

Her first book, Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power and a World Without Rape, was one of Publisher’s Weekly’s Top 100 Books and inspired new laws in five U.S. states.

Click here to register for this virtual event. 

 

 
 
 

Only *Some* Chaplains to Replace Mental Health Professionals in Arizona Schools

Last week, we reported on the AZGOP's attempt to replace mental health professionals in public schools with religious chaplains. Read our Legal Director's letter to the Education Committee here.  

As if that wasn't bad enough, there's also an amendment to exclude Humanist and Satanist chaplains from participating. Apparently only *certain types* of religious practitioners will be allowed in schools. 

Tell your representatives how you feel about forcing religiosity on students. 

Watch the Friendly Atheist's take on this bill

 

New Secular AZ Swag Dropped

We've got lots of in-person events coming up, and we hope you'll join us... wearing a shirt that proclaims your support for church:state separation!

Get your shirt (or hat or onesie) here. 

Wear it on Saturday, April 5 and 6, when we'll have a booth at Phoenix Pride's Rainbows Festival in Heritage Square Park!

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

March 25: Equal Pay Day marks the extra days in which (white) women have to work to make the same amount (white) men earned in the same job with the same qualifications; LGBTQIA+ Equal Pay Day is June 17, Black women's EPD is July 9, Latina women's EPD is October 8, Disabled women's EPD is October 23, Native/Indigenous women's EPD is November 18... you get the picture. 😡

March 28, 12pEducateUS & Jaclyn Friedman: The Importance of Comprehensive Sex Ed (virtual event)

March 29, 9a: Atheists Helping the Homeless Giveaway

March 30, 10a: HSGP's Other Sunday Social on Zoom

April 3, 6p: Devil's Toybox

April 4, 12p: one-n-10 Microschool (virtual event)

April 5-6: Phoenix Pride's Rainbows Festival

 
 
 
 
 

Secular AZ
PO Box 47756  | Phoenix, Arizona 85068
6023804810 | info@secularaz.org

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