To avoid further controversy, the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi has rejected a $20,000 gift intended to underwrite an alternate prom replacing one canceled by a local school district after a lesbian student demanded that she be allowed to attend with her girlfriend.
The gift, to sponsor one of several privately sponsored alternate events, came from the American Humanist Association, an advocacy group whose mission is to promote “good without God.”
“Although we support and understand organizations like yours, the majority of Mississippians tremble in terror at the word ‘atheist,’ ” Jennifer Carr, the fund-raiser for the A.C.L.U of Mississippi, wrote in an e-mail message to Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the humanist group.
I love the ACLU… usually. I can count on two hands the times they have done something with which I disagree, but this is one of the big ones.
They don’t want to cause ‘controversy’, so they are caving in to bigotry against atheists. Instead of waging a war for good, helping teens have a prom, and raising awareness of the nonrelgious community’s superior moral stance, they caved. They said ‘no thanks’ on behalf of the students.
They could have used the opportunity to highlight the ignorance of yesterday’s mythologies against the modern light of compassion, but they chose not to, because it might cause controversy. Is this MY ACLU?
Nope.
The ACLU needs a reality check. Many of their donors — and directors — are atheists, and I hope they’re piping mad at this woefully wimpy decision. Hopefully, they will let the ACLU know their opinion. I will.
Hopefully, the prom will happen despite the ACLU’s refusal to help.
