RE: Has being gay become more socially acceptable than being an atheist?
February 28, 2014 at 11:33 am
I've heard reports from gay atheists that they were more worried about coming out as atheist than as gay.
We're almost immune from persecution, but since the reason that's true is because it is SO easy to be invisible, it's kind of insidious. In the USA, if we don't bring it up, everyone will assume we're Christians, and we don't have to rearrange our sex lives for the purpose of concealing this fact. I've never knowingly had sex with another atheist, for instance, unless the Buddhists were the atheistic kind. It's mostly been Christians, at least nominal ones.
Nowadays, it's hard for anyone who knows me well outside of work to be unaware that I'm an atheist. I could probably put stuff on my car indicating my atheism and be okay...but possibly my car could be vandalized, it's happened to friends of mine. That's in the capital city though. Go thirty miles outside the Metropolitan area in any direction readily identifiable as an atheist and you could be in for some serious trouble. I wouldn't do it unless I was armed or prepared to be a martyr. I don't think I would be murdered, but hospitalized is a distinct possibility.
Even in Columbia, I wouldn't put a sign on my house that said 'home of a proud atheist' without expecting at least a rock through a window. To be fair, I think a gay man would have similar problems putting up a 'home of a proud gay man' sign.
We're almost immune from persecution, but since the reason that's true is because it is SO easy to be invisible, it's kind of insidious. In the USA, if we don't bring it up, everyone will assume we're Christians, and we don't have to rearrange our sex lives for the purpose of concealing this fact. I've never knowingly had sex with another atheist, for instance, unless the Buddhists were the atheistic kind. It's mostly been Christians, at least nominal ones.
Nowadays, it's hard for anyone who knows me well outside of work to be unaware that I'm an atheist. I could probably put stuff on my car indicating my atheism and be okay...but possibly my car could be vandalized, it's happened to friends of mine. That's in the capital city though. Go thirty miles outside the Metropolitan area in any direction readily identifiable as an atheist and you could be in for some serious trouble. I wouldn't do it unless I was armed or prepared to be a martyr. I don't think I would be murdered, but hospitalized is a distinct possibility.
Even in Columbia, I wouldn't put a sign on my house that said 'home of a proud atheist' without expecting at least a rock through a window. To be fair, I think a gay man would have similar problems putting up a 'home of a proud gay man' sign.
