A city in Texas was sued by its local group of atheists for alleged discrimination after refusing to approve their application to put up their banners advertising an event, sparking new debates on how atheists are treated in an America that is becoming more non-religious.
An atheist group in Texas is suing the city of Fort Worth after it rejected ads for an upcoming event highlighting the dangers of Christian Nationalism.
One city official claimed the event lacked sufficient “magnitude”... whatever that means.
My piece: https://t.co/gfuWsYS4Ho pic.twitter.com/5LyjaSvb1g— Hemant Mehta (@hemantmehta) July 18, 2023
Metroplex Atheists, an organization for atheists, freethinkers, agnostics, and other non-religious people within the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas, filed a case against the local government of Fort Worth after it rejected its request to put up banners to advertise its upcoming educational seminar at Fort Worth Botanic Garden about the dangers of Christian Nationalism on August 26th.
“We did everything to meet the City of Fort Worth’s Banner Policy. We were denied purely on trumped-up claims nowhere in the policy, to disguise their prejudice,” Umair Khan, who serves as the President of the Metroplex Atheists and assistant state director for American Atheists in Texas, said regarding the incident. “The City of Fort Worth's decision infringes upon our fundamental constitutional rights. This authoritarian and theocratic action enables Christian nationalist groups to attack the democratic rights of all citizens and our public schools–which is the focus of our seminar.”
The organization filed the lawsuit against the Fort Worth city government with the help of the American Atheists, the American Humanist Association, and the Texas-based law firm Glast, Phillips & Murray.
BREAKING: On behalf of Metroplex Atheists, we've just filed suit against the city of Fort Worth, Texas, over the city's refusal to allow Metroplex Atheists to advertise an upcoming educational event about Christian Nationalism https://t.co/e0hmuWuNfY
— American Atheists (@AmericanAtheist) July 17, 2023
“Free speech is free speech, whether or not the government likes that speech or certain members of the community object to it,” Geoffrey T. Blackwell, the litigation counsel at American Atheists who wrote the complaint, said. “The City of Fort Worth’s attempt to silence atheists for opposing theocracy is textbook viewpoint discrimination.”
Fort Worth’s regulations on putting up advertising banners around the city are very specific. However, non-profit groups would be generally allowed to post banners promoting their organization or advertise an upcoming event after following specific guidelines and paying the necessary fees.
The city earlier approved requests by religious organizations to put up banners advertising their organizations or upcoming events, such as the Kenneth Copeland Ministries when they promoted their “Southwest Believers Convention” and the Texas Christian University when they advertised the school.
Christian here. There's absolutely nothing wrong with being atheist and advertising for what they do/don't believe in. Be better than that, Texas.
— Sir Magic Pickle (@SirMagicPickle) July 18, 2023
It even approved a request by the Metroplex Atheists back in 2019 to put up a banner advertising an event calling to change the United States national motto from “In God, We Trust” to the more secular “E Pluribus Unum” (out of many, one).
But then-Fort Worth mayor, Betsy Price, said she would have rejected the request if it wasn’t for the US Constitution. Yet even after Metroplex Atheists were allowed to put up banners in Fort Worth, their banners were later destroyed and vandalized just days after they were installed.
Religionists Saying unironically through clenched teeth “I believe in religious FREEDOM”. Then calling atheism a religion. Then denying atheists their freedom. Then claiming to be followers of a “loving” god.
— tag (@DenzildeanNY) July 18, 2023
Fort Worth’s Assistant City Manager William Johnson told Metroplex Atheists that the event lacked sufficient “magnitude” for them to put up banners in the city, even though the city’s banner policy never said anything about advertised events needing to be of significance to a group or to draw a certain number of attendees.
The group was also told that Fort Worth’s city council would meet and discuss the issue in a closed-door session, with the rejection of their request still in effect, along with a “moratorium on new banners… while the city reviews the existing policy for updates.”
Dr. Bradley Onishi, a professor/author and one of the event’s key speakers, described the city’s refusal to approve the banner request by Metroplex Atheists as a “clear violation of free speech.”
