Prominent Legislators Join Reason Rally’s Call For Separation of Church and State

Washington, D.C., May 17, 2016 —Two prominent legislators are adding their voices to the grow-ing demand for science in public policy and the constitutional separation of church and state. Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (Dem.- HI) and Maryland State Senator Jamie Raskin will speak up for reason in public policy at Reason Rally 2016 on Saturday, June 4 in Washington, DC.

“I look forward to participating in the upcoming Reason Rally at the Lincoln Memorial on June 4th,” said Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02). “Freedom of religion, the freedom of each individual to follow or not follow any particular spiritual path, is the birthright of every one of us and it is wonderfully enshrined in our country’s constitution.”

The involvement of these two lawmakers, both of whom have religious affiliations, reinforces the message of the Reason Rally that is now being heard on a national level: Separation of church and state is a constitutional mandate central to both integrity in government and the flourishing of personal freedom of conscience and belief. Tulsi Gabbard is a practicing Hindu. Jamie Raskin is Jewish and belongs to Temple Sinai in Washington, DC.

“The historic triumph of our Constitution was to break from centuries of religious warfare, Inquisition, holy crusades, religious taxation and witchcraft trials,” said Senator Raskin, who is a professor of constitutional law at American University. “Today, as we struggle to rescue humanity from the accelerating perils of climate change and the brutality of theocratic governments and terrorist death cults all over the world, we need to reassert the primacy of reason and science in public life and the necessity of separating governments from religious ideology and orthodoxy. Theocracy is a serious threat to women and children, to democracy, to religious minorities, to personal freedom and liberal values, and to peace and justice all over the world. It is time for all Americans to stand up for our most essential public values against science deniers and theocrats all over the world.”

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard was elected to the U.S. Congress in 2012 after a tough primary election, and has since won re-election by overwhelming majorities. Senator Raskin, the Majority Whip of the Maryland Senate has been reelected three times with 99% of the vote from his district in Silver Spring and Takoma Park. He recently won the Democratic nomination for Congress in Maryland’s 8th Congressional District, prevailing over a field of nine in the most expensive Congressional primary in American history.

For more about the speakers and the schedule of events, visit  www.reasonrally.org

Reason Rally 2016 Contact: Lyz Liddell at lyz@reasonrally.org

Press Contact: Paul Fidalgo at pfidalgo@centerforinquiry.net

About Reason Rally 2016

Reason Rally 2016 is a celebration of fact-driven public policy, the value of critical thinking, and the voting power of secular Americans. The Rally will be held June 2- 5, 2016, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. Two days of lobbying will precede the Rally itself on June 4 and a conference will be held Sunday, June 5. Participants will be joined by speakers, entertainers, top-level scientists, and political leaders as they celebrate their secular, humanist and other nonreligious identities.

Accessibility

Reason Rally 2016 is fully accessible, with wheelchair access and seating as well as line-of-sight seating for ASL signing. For more details, visit the website at www.reasonrally.org/ada

About the Sponsors

The coalition of Reason Rally 2016 sponsors represent a cross-section of the atheist/secular humanist sector. Together, they attract more than 2,800,000 Facebook “likes” per month and 280,000 Twitter followers. For more about our sponsors, visit www.reasonrally.org/sponsors.