The Freedom From Religion Foundation and its Northern Ohio Freethought Society chapter just put up 11 billboards throughout Cleveland and Akron urging other atheists to come out of the closet:

“Research shows that atheists and other nonbelievers are still at the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to social acceptanc. One of the reasons is that even though at least 20% of the population today is nonreligious in the United States, many Americans have never knowingly met an atheist,” said Annie Laurie Gaylor, FFRF co-president. “This campaign introduces the Cleveland and Akron community to the atheists and skeptics in their midst. Taking a cue from the gay pride movement, our campaign invites other nonbelievers to share their views and ‘Come out of the closet.’”

I can’t stress how much I love this campaign. Putting real, local atheists on the billboards with their own positive messages and smiling faces is powerful — and a complete stereotype-buster.

No word yet on how much the campaign costs, but the billboards will be up for a month. You can get a full list of their locations here.



