**** For Immediate Release ****
April 12, 2021 โ Toledo, Ohio:
We are extremeยญly disยญapยญpointยญed in the recent transยญphoยญbic Tweet by Richard Dawkins who is a well known sciยญenยญtist and spokesperยญson for those of us in the freethought comยญmuยญniยญty.
Mr. Dawkins wrongยญly equatยญed a white woman who comยญmitยญted fraud by claimยญing to be black with transยญgenยญder peoยญple as if they are lying about who they are and should expeยญriยญence backยญlash.
Mr. Dawkins also wrongยญly attemptยญed to make his views on transยญgenยญder peoยญple as someยญthing that can be debatยญed like a quesยญtion about culยญture or flaยญvor of ice cream.
Mr. Dawkins demeaned and dehuยญmanยญized an entire subยญset of peoยญple and this is not the first time he has expressed a conยญtrary view about whole groups of peoยญple based on nothยญing but his own biasยญes.
The Secular Humanists of Western Lake Erie canโt stand by withยญout respondยญing. Richard Dawkins doesยญnโt speak for SHoWLE or any of our memยญbers.
Going forยญward SHoWLE will not proยญmote or supยญport any project or event that involves Mr. Dawkins. We will ask the Center for Inquiry to remove him from their board of direcยญtors and spin off the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science housed at CFI. We would like CFI to make a strong stateยญment against Dawkins remarks.
Richard Dawkins has benยญeยญfitยญed from his fame and staยญtus in our comยญmuยญniยญty and the things he says can effect othยญer peoยญple for good and bad. Degrading any humans is totalยญly against our Humanist valยญues and we feel Richard Dawkins needs to apolยญoยญgize and step away from the pubยญlic eye comยญpleteยญly.
For refยญerยญence: Richard Dawkins is Still Denying the Basic Humanity of Trans People
About Secular Humanists of Western Lake Erie
The misยญsion of the Secular Humanists of Western Lake Erie is to proยญvide a supยญportยญive local comยญmuยญniยญty for humanยญists and othยญer nonยญtheยญists, while proยญmotยญing an ethยญiยญcal, reaยญsonยญable, and secยญuยญlar approach to life through eduยญcaยญtion, comยญmuยญniยญty serยญvice, outยญreach, activism, and social events.
We enviยญsion a Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan where secยญuยญlar peoยญple are respectยญed and inteยญgratยญed in broadยญer sociยญety, live valยญues of reaยญson and comยญpasยญsion, and enjoy a friendยญly humanยญist comยญmuยญniยญty.
Media Contacts
Douglas Berger โ President
567โ215-2694

