Annie Laurie Gaylor (born November 2, 1955) is an American atheist, secular and women's rights activist and a co-founder of – and, with her husband

Dan Barker Daniel Edwin Barker (born June 25, 1949) is an American atheist activist and musician who served as an evangelical Christian preacher and composer for 19 years but left Christianity in 1984. He and his wife Annie Laurie Gaylor are the current ...

, a current co-president of – the

Freedom From Religion Foundation The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) is an American nonprofit organization, which advocates for atheists, agnostics, and nontheists. Formed in 1976, FFRF promotes the separation of church and state, and challenges the legitimacy of many ...

. 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 GodsNo Masters''.

Biography

Gaylor graduated from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

'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.Simonson recall: * * * Gaylor and her late mother, Anne Nicol Gaylor, and the late John Sontarck, founded the

(FFRF) in a meeting around the Gaylors' dining room table in 1978. Gaylor has worked to make the FFRF the largest organization of atheists and agnostics in the United States. Gaylor is also on the Board of Directors of the Women's Medical Fund, Inc., a group that helps women pay for abortion services. She has been involved in other protests including: protesting abortion restrictions in South Dakota, protesting perceived judicial misconduct in Wisconsin, and speaking out against gun violence. In 2010, Gaylor received the Humanitarian Heroine award from the American Humanist Association. Gaylor has been an invited speaker at conferences including the 2012 Global Atheist Convention in Melbourne, Australia, and the regional conference of the Minnesota Atheists. She is on the speakers bureau of the

Secular Student Alliance The Secular Student Alliance (SSA) is an American educational nonprofit organization whose purpose is to educate high school and college students about the value of scientific reason and the intellectual basis of secularism in its atheistic an ...

Media appearances

Gaylor 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 and the case against the

National Day of Prayer The National Day of Prayer is an annual day of observance held on the first Thursday of May, designated by the United States Congress, when people are asked "to turn to God in prayer and meditation". The president is required by law () to sign a ...

. 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, the arrest of the Tunisian woman Amina Tyler for posting a nude photo of herself, the 50-year anniversary of the publication of ''The Feminine Mystique'', and the state of women's rights around the world since the Seneca Convention. 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.

Personal life

Gaylor 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, Sabrina Delata.

Publications

Author * * * * Editor *

References

External links

Freedom From Religion Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaylor, Annie Laurie 1955 births Living people American feminists American atheism activists Atheist feminists Freethought writers Writers from Madison, Wisconsin People from Monroe County, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Journalism & Mass Communication alumni 20th-century atheists 21st-century atheists Writers about religion and science