Hemant Mehta is the founder and editor of FriendlyAtheist.com, a YouTube creator, and podcast co-host. He is a former National Board Certified math teacher in the suburbs of Chicago. He has appeared on CNN and FOX News and served on the board of directors for Foundation Beyond Belief and the Secular Student Alliance. He has written multiple books, including I Sold My Soul on eBay and The Young Atheist's Survival Guide. He also edited the book Queer Disbelief.
St. Mary’s Academy in Portland, Oregon recently made the wise decision to hire Lauren Brown (below) as a teacher. She had a math degree from Lewis & Clark College, worked in the college’s admissions department after graduating, and was eager to work as a counselor at the Catholic school despite a pay cut. Over the summer, after she had already accepted the offer, she told a school official she was gay. It wasn’t long before she was fired. Here’s where things get weird. While Catholic schools have made a habit of firing teachers in same-sex marriages for violating Church doctrine on the issue, Brown wasn’t married. (She says she asked the school official what would happen if she did get married, while lawyers for the school said she planned on getting married in the fall.) Then, to make matters worse, St. Mary’s offered Brown a full year’s salary along with benefits if she promised not to tell anyone why she got fired, thereby not creating a public relations nightmare for the school. Brown didn’t agree to that deal. So let the nightmare proceed. Read more
A few days ago, we posted about a dad who took his son to the toy store to exchange a duplicate birthday present… only to learn that his son swapped it out for a Little Mermaid doll. The response from father Mikki Willis was wonderful. He said that it wasn’t a big deal at all, adding that he would always love his kids no matter what. But I know what you’re thinking: What would Christian blowhard and vertical-video-expert Joshua Feuerstein do in that situation? Let him show you: Read more