Greta's April Speaking Schedule: Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, Boston, Des Moines, Sacramento, and San Francisco

American Atheists national conference

April is the coolest month, breeding atheists out of the dead land…

My speaking schedule in April is a little bit bonkers. I’ll be speaking at the American Atheists national convention in Des Moines, Iowa, and I’ll be on a panel at the American Humanist Association annual conference in Boston. Plus I have additional speaking engagements planned in Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, Sacramento, and here at home in San Francisco.

Whew! I’m exhausted in advance — but I’m also really, really excited. This should be a hoot and a half. I’ll be speaking on the topics of “Atheism and Sexuality,” “What Can the Atheist Movement Learn From the LGBT Movement?”, and “Why Are You Atheists So Angry?”, and will also be doing a panel discussion on “Building Diversity: Women, Minorities and LGBT in Local Groups” with Jen McCreight and Debbie Goddard. Here are summaries of the talks:

Atheism and sexuality. The sexual morality of traditional religion tends to be based, not on solid ethical principles, but on a set of taboos about what kinds of sex God does and doesn’t want people to have. And while the sex-positive community offers a more thoughtful view of sexual morality, it still often frames sexuality as positive by seeing it as a spiritual experience. What are some atheist alternatives to these views? How can atheists view sexual ethics without a belief in God? And how can atheists view sexual transcendence without a belief in the supernatural?

What can the atheist movement learn from the LGBT movement? The atheist movement is already modeling itself on the LGBT movement in many ways — most obviously with its focus on coming out of the closet. What else can the atheist movement learn from the LGBT movement… both from its successes and its failures?

Why are you atheists so angry? The atheist movement is often accused of being driven by anger. What are so many atheists so angry about? Is this anger legitimate? And can anger be an effective force behind a movement for social change?

Building Diversity: Women, Minorities and LGBT in Local Groups. The public image of atheism is often described as being “a club for old white men.” Unfortunately, too many groups do seem to have one or more of these biases. Jen McCreight tackles the question of why so many groups seem to be lacking godless women, and what we can do to fix this gender gap. Debbie Goddard takes a hard look at how our message isn’t resonating with certain demographics, and shows how we can improve. Greta Christina offers encouragement through comparisons with the LGBT movement, highlighting areas in which we’ve done well and directing attention to our opportunities for improvement.

If you’re in any of these cities, come by and say howdy! Here are the whens and wheres:

American humanist association logo
LOCATION: Cambridge, Massachusetts, Hyatt Regency Cambridge Hotel — American Humanist Association annual conference
TIME: 4:30pm-5:45pm
TOPIC: Building Diversity: Women, Minorities and LGBT in Local Groups – panel discussion, with Jen McCreight, Debbie Goddard
SPONSORS: American Humanist Association and Secular Student Alliance (part of the SSA Leadership Track at the conference)
DURATION: 1 hour panel discussion
COST: See conference website for details

Campus Atheists, Skeptics, and Humanists
LOCATION: Minneapolis, MN, University of Minnesota, Murphy Hall 130, 206 Church Street SE
TIME: 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
TOPIC: What Can the Atheist Movement Learn From the LGBT Movement?
SPONSOR: Campus Atheists, Skeptics, and Humanists, University of Minnesota
DURATION: 60 minutes, plus Q&A
COST: Free

Secular Humanism, Inquiry and Freethought
LOCATION: Salt Lake City, UT, University of Utah, University of Utah Social and Behavioral Science Auditorium, 392 South 1530 East
TIME: 7:00 – 8:30 pm
TOPIC: What Can the Atheist Movement Learn From the LGBT Movement?
SPONSOR: SHIFT: Secular Humanism, Inquiry and Freethought, University of Utah
DURATION: 60 minutes, plus Q&A
COST: Free

Americanatheists
LOCATION: Des Moines, IA, Embassy Suites Hotel/ Convention Center – American Atheists national convention
TIME: 2:00 – 3:00 pm, followed by book signing from 5:30 – 7:00
TOPIC: Why Are Atheists So Angry?
SPONSOR: American Atheists
DURATION: 40 minutes, plus a little Q&A if time permits
COST: See convention website for details

Sacramento City College
LOCATION: Sacramento, CA, Sacramento City College, Student Center
TIME: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
TOPIC: Atheism and Sexuality
SPONSOR: Sac City Freethinkers, Sacramento City College
DURATION: 60 minutes, plus Q&A
COST: Free to all Los Rios Community College District students and employees
$5 at the door for general public

San Francisco Atheists
LOCATION: San Francisco, CA Schroeder’s Restaurant, 240 Front St.
TIME: 4:30pm – 7:00 pm
TOPIC: Why Are You Atheists So Angry?
SPONSOR: San Francisco Atheists
DURATION: 60 minutes, plus Q&A
COST: Free

Hope to see you there! I’ll be doing Q&A at most of these talks, so come prepared with questions… or just come by to say howdy!

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Greta's April Speaking Schedule: Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, Boston, Des Moines, Sacramento, and San Francisco
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