Annie Laurie Gaylor (born November 2, 1955) is an American atheist, secular and women's rights activist and a co-founder – and, with her husband Dan Barker, a current co-president – of the Freedom From Religion Foundation.[1] She was also the editor of the organization's newspaper, Freethought Today (published ten times per year) until 2015. Gaylor is the author of several books, including Woe to the Women: The Bible Tells Me So, Betrayal of Trust: Clergy Abuse of Children and, as editor, Women Without Superstition: No Gods – No Masters.
Annie Laurie Gaylor | |
|---|---|
 Gaylor at the 2012 Global Atheist Convention in Melbourne, Australia | |
| Born | November 2, 1955 |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Wisconsin–Madison |
| Occupation(s) | Co-president, Freedom From Religion Foundation · Author |
Biography
editGaylor graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison's School of Journalism in 1980.
In 1977, Gaylor, along with her mother (Anne Nicol Gaylor) and feminist groups, spearheaded the protest that led to the recall of Judge Archie Simonson after he had made a statement blaming a young girl for her rape.[2]
Gaylor and her late mother, Anne Nicol Gaylor, and the late John Sontarck, founded the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) in a meeting around the Gaylors' dining room table in 1978.[3] Gaylor has worked to make the FFRF the largest organization of atheists and agnostics in the United States.[4]
Gaylor is also on the Board of Directors of the Women's Medical Fund, Inc.,[5] a group that helps women pay for abortion services.[6] She has been involved in other protests including: protesting abortion restrictions in South Dakota,[7] protesting perceived judicial misconduct in Wisconsin,[8] and speaking out against gun violence.[9]
In 2010, Gaylor received the Humanitarian Heroine award from the American Humanist Association.[10] Gaylor has been an invited speaker at conferences including the 2012 Global Atheist Convention in Melbourne, Australia,[11] and the regional conference of the Minnesota Atheists.[12] She is on the speakers bureau of the Secular Student Alliance.[13]
Media appearances
editGaylor has appeared in numerous print, radio and television media discussing the work of the FFRF, such as an advertising campaign being censored in Las Vegas[14] and the case against the National Day of Prayer.[15]
Gaylor contributes writings to print media across the United States on women's issues: how politics affects women's access to reproductive health care in the state of Wisconsin,[16] the arrest of the Tunisian woman Amina Tyler for posting a nude photo of herself,[17] the 50-year anniversary of the publication of The Feminine Mystique,[18] and the state of women's rights around the world since the Seneca Convention.[19][20]
Gaylor, along with her husband Dan Barker, hosts a weekly one-hour radio program Freethought Radio. It is broadcast weekly, on Progressive Talk The Mic 92.1, out of Madison, Wisconsin. It is carried on several other stations throughout the Midwest and is available through podcast.[21]
Personal life
editGaylor met Barker when both were guests on AM Chicago, hosted by Oprah Winfrey, in 1984. They began dating six months later and married in 1987. They have a daughter.[3]
Publications
editAuthor
- Annie Laurie Gaylor (1986). It Can't Happen Here?. Complimentary Copy Press.
- Annie Laurie Gaylor (1987). Two Reviews: Encyclopedia of Unbelief. Complimentary Copy Press.
- Annie Laurie Gaylor (1988). Betrayal of Trust: Clergy Abuse of Children. Freedom From Religion Foundation. ISBN 978-1-877733-06-2.
- Annie Laurie Gaylor (2004). Woe to the Women--the Bible Tells Me So: The Bible, Female Sexuality & the Law. Freedom From Religion Foundation. ISBN 978-1-877733-12-3.
Editor
- Annie Laurie Gaylor (1997). Women Without Superstition: No Gods--No Masters: The Collected Writings of Women Freethinkers of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. Freedom From Religion Foundation. ISBN 978-1-877733-09-3.
References
edit- ^ Grauvogl, Ann (18 December 2009). "Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor are happily God-free". Isthmus The Daily Page. Archived from the original on 7 November 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
- ^ Simonson recall:
- "Judge's comments on rape spark protest". The Prescott Courier. 27 May 1977. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
- "Women demand judge resign job". Daily News. 26 May 1977. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
- Woliver, Laura R. (December 1990). "Feminism at the grass roots: The recall of Judge Archie Simonson". Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies. 11 (2/3): 111–119. doi:10.2307/3346835. JSTOR 3346835.
- ^ a b Erickson, Doug (25 February 2007). "The Atheists' Call". Madison.com. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
- ^ Roberts, Joel (23 February 2007). "Atheists To Get High Court Hearing". CBS News. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
- ^ "Women's Medical Fund, Inc". Archived from the original on 18 July 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
- ^ Erickson, Doug (22 August 2010). "Crusader with a checkbook: Anne Nicol Gaylor helps women fund abortions". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
- ^ Alikan, Anusha (31 March 2006). "Abortion Rights Groups Boycott S.D. Tourist Spots". ABCNews. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
- ^ "Wisconsin progressive groups rally, call for a Prosser leave of absence". Isthmus The Daily Page. 12 July 2011. Archived from the original on 15 September 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
- ^ Morgan, Robin (19 December 2012). "The Longest, Darkest Night of the Year". Women's Media Center. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
- ^ "2010 Humanist Awards". American Humanist Association. 2010. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
- ^ "Speakers". Global Atheist Convention. 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
- ^ "Annie Laurie Gaylor to Speak at American-MN Atheists Conference". Minnesota Atheists. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
- ^ "Annie Laurie Gaylor". Secular Student Alliance. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
- ^ "Atheist Group Unveils Anti-God Ad Campaign Ahead of Holidays". The O'Reilly Factor. Fox News. 22 December 2009. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
- ^ "The Joy Behar Show". CNN. 27 April 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-11-02. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
- ^ Gaylor, Annie Laurie (13 June 2013). "Wisconsin abortion bills a travesty". Secular News Daily. Archived from the original on 25 December 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
- ^ Gaylor, Annie Laurie (24 April 2013). "Femen's Message Should Not Be Provocative". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
- ^ Gaylor, Annie Laurie (19 February 2013). "Remembering a landmark book 50 years later". The Progressive. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
- ^ Gaylor, Annie Laurie (17 July 2008). "Women's Rights Movement Celebrates 160 Years". The Progressive. Archived from the original on 27 March 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
- ^ Gaylor, Annie Laurie (19 July 2013). "Lessons of Seneca Falls, 165 years later". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
- ^ "Freethought Radio & Podcast". Retrieved 12 June 2013.
External links
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