UPDATE: The time for the University of Chicago event has been corrected — it’s now 6:30 pm on March 1 — and the location has been set, Harper Memorial Library Room 140.
Hi, all! Starting at the end of this week, I am embarking on an epic speaking tour. I’ll be in Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Auburn, Alabama; Columbia, South Carolina; Blacksburg, Virginia; Charlottesville, Virginia; and in Chicago twice (once in Lincoln Park and once in Hyde Park). Topics will include “Atheism and Sexuality,” “What Can the Atheist Movement Learn from the LGBT Movement,” “Happy Thoughts about Godless Death” (possibly), “Coming Out: What Can the Godless Learn from the Queers?” (a new talk, one I haven’t given before), and “Why Are You Atheists So Angry?”
If you’re in or near any of these towns, I hope you can make it! I always do Q&A after the talks, so please come by and say howdy. Here’s the tour schedule:
EVENT/HOSTS: Alabama Atheists and Agnostics
DATE: Saturday, February 25
TIME: Noon
LOCATION: 205 Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
TOPIC: TBD (probably “Happy Thoughts About Godless Death”)
SUMMARY: One of the most difficult things about leaving religion is letting go of belief in the afterlife. What are some ways that atheists can find comfort and meaning in the face of death?
COST: Free and open to the public
EVENT/HOSTS: AAA: Auburn Atheists and Agnostics
DATE: Saturday, February 25
TIME: 7:30 pm
LOCATION: Student Center Ballroom, Auburn University Main Campus, Auburn, AL
TOPIC: What Can the Atheist Movement Learn From the LGBT Movement?
SUMMARY: 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?
COST: Free and open to the public
EVENT/HOSTS: Pastafarians at USC
DATE: Sunday, February 26
TIME: 5:30 pm
LOCATION: Currell College Room 107, University of South Carolina, Columbia
TOPIC: Atheism and Sexuality
SUMMARY: 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?
COST: Free and open to the public
EVENT/HOSTS: Freethinkers at Virginia Tech
DATE: Monday, February 27
TIME: 7:00 pm
LOCATION: Graduate life center auditorium, Donaldson Brown Hall, Virgina Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia
TOPIC: Why Are You Atheists So Angry?
SUMMARY: 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?
COST: Free and open to the public
EVENT/HOSTS: Virginia Atheists & Agnostics, University of Virginia
DATE: Tuesday, February 28
TIME: 7:00 pm
LOCATION: Campbell Hall 160, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
TOPIC: Why Are You Atheists So Angry?
SUMMARY: See Freethinkers at Virginia Tech above.
COST: Free and open to the public
EVENT/HOSTS: University of Chicago Secular Student Alliance
DATE: Thursday, March 1
TIME: 7:00 pm 6:30 pm
LOCATION: Harper Memorial Library, Room 140, University of Chicago
TOPIC: Atheism and Sexuality
SUMMARY: See Pastafarians at USC above.
COST: Free and open to the public
EVENT/HOSTS: DePaul Alliance for Free Thought (DAFT)
DATE: Friday, March 2
TIME: 7:00 pm
LOCATION: Room 325, Lincoln Park Student Center, DePaul University, Chicago, IL
TOPIC: Coming Out: What Can the Godless Learn from the Queers?
SUMMARY: Coming out is the most powerful political act atheists can take. And the LGBT community has decades of experience — in coming out ourselves, and in encouraging each other to come out. What can atheists learn about coming out from the LGBT movement? And what are the differences between coming out atheist and coming out queer — and what
can we learn from those differences?
COST: Free and open to the public
Oh I may have to make the drive to Charlottesville to see you next Tuesday!
When are we going to do an evening with Greta and JT?
When are we going to do an evening with Greta, JT, and Jen? Don’t wanna wait ’til 2013!
/pout
122 miles to Charlottesville. Maybe I can make it, I think I would really enjoy hearing you speak.
I am totally planning on making it to the DePaul talk. Yay Red Line!
I’ll see you, Greta, Nicole & TV200 on Tuesday! Sooooo glad you’re coming to our town! If only your book was out now (instead of next month) I’d get you to sign a copy!
ohmygoodness. Chicago. Perfect. 🙂
“Why Are You Atheists So Angry?”
Mostly because people keep telling me I’m angry. I’LL decide how I feel.
This is going to be most awesome.
Our city may never be the same.
You’re coming to Columbia?
*squee!*
Ooh, I was planning to go to Columbia this weekend anyway. How fortuitous!
Columbia,SC?!?!?!!! I could drive there…except that I’m working this weekend.:(
*grinds teeth in frustration*
My son is President of the Auburn Atheists and Agnostics and helped organize this event. My daughter,who is LGBT and Atheist/Agnostic, are very much looking forward to your presentation this evening.
I’m here! Hello…?
There was a bigger turnout than I expected at the Auburn presentation. Greta was a fantastic speaker and the issues she brought up were interesting. Though the focus was on the atheist community the discussion regarding the LGBT movement was quite interesting. She brought up issues that the queer movement itself needs to work on fixing, especially regarding race. A lot of it was common sense stuff, but hearing it all in one place had quite an impact on me.
I definitely was inspired to go and read more of her writing, including this blog.
Thanks for coming to Auburn, it was quite the presentation!
Great talk tonight in Columbia. Thanks for fielding my question!
Hi Greta,
I’m afraid that while the sound quality was surprisingly good the recording skips continually, so your talk will just have to live in our human memory.
Which it will; you provided some terrific food for thought. Speaking of food, you’ll be glad to hear the ”Meat?” remark was in one of the lacunae!
Thanks for an interesting evening!
B.T.
Would it be possible to try and get an event in Wisconsin? It is quite a drive from the middle of the state all the way to Chicago. Madison would be a good choice, because there is the FFRF group that I am sure would love to have you. Wisconsin is full of smaller towns with closet atheists that may need a good shove in the right direction. Could you please let me know?
I was so glad to be able to attend your talk in SC, I’ve been following your blog for a while now and it was great to get to see you speak/meet you. As a former Christian who is still in the closet as an atheist it was great to hear an intelligent, frank discussion on sexuality!
I wonder what would take so that Third World countries could be part of this?