Jobar
03 Apr 2010, 01:05 AM
Humanists across the nation are still reeling from a surprising refusal of their offered donation of $20,000 to underwrite an alternate prom replacing one canceled by a local school district after a lesbian student asked that she be allowed to attend with her girlfriend. As reported in today's New York Times, the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi has rejected the assistance of the AHA due to its nontheistic worldview. Said the ACLU spokesperson, "Although we support and understand organizations like yours, the majority of Mississippians tremble in terror at the word 'atheist.' These Southern Baptist types are mainly what makes up the town of Fulton."
With that letter it seemed that the AHA may have earned the distinction of being the first organization to be too controversial for the ACLU. However, the ACLU seems to recognize the shortcomings of these comments, and has since apologized.
"We accept the apology, but we feel that an apology is owed not just to us but to the people of Mississippi," said David Niose, president of the American Humanist Association. "To suggest that the good people of Mississippi are so unenlightened that they can't be accepting and welcoming to the goodwill of a humanist group is insulting to them, not just to us. We are confident that our involvement would have been met with warmth and Southern hospitality."
For more see here. (http://www.americanhumanist.org/news/details/2010-04-humanists-feeling-sting-of-rejection-by-aclu-chapter-)
Breaking news says that this has been worked out, and that Constance McMillen, whose request to have a female date caused the Prom cancellation (http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-03-10-noprom_N.htm), has accepted the donation from the AHA. However, I'm thinking seriously about no longer contributing to the ACLU over this; not that I've ever given a lot, but I have been an occasional donor.
With that letter it seemed that the AHA may have earned the distinction of being the first organization to be too controversial for the ACLU. However, the ACLU seems to recognize the shortcomings of these comments, and has since apologized.
"We accept the apology, but we feel that an apology is owed not just to us but to the people of Mississippi," said David Niose, president of the American Humanist Association. "To suggest that the good people of Mississippi are so unenlightened that they can't be accepting and welcoming to the goodwill of a humanist group is insulting to them, not just to us. We are confident that our involvement would have been met with warmth and Southern hospitality."
For more see here. (http://www.americanhumanist.org/news/details/2010-04-humanists-feeling-sting-of-rejection-by-aclu-chapter-)
Breaking news says that this has been worked out, and that Constance McMillen, whose request to have a female date caused the Prom cancellation (http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-03-10-noprom_N.htm), has accepted the donation from the AHA. However, I'm thinking seriously about no longer contributing to the ACLU over this; not that I've ever given a lot, but I have been an occasional donor.