Unreasonable

Erin Reed is a transgender woman, public speaker, journalist and activist who tracks anti-LGBTQ+ legislation around the world, tirelessly reporting on issues concerning the trans community. Her immensely influential TikTok account has over 445,000 followers and her daily Substack, Erin In The Morning, has more than 54,000 subscribers. On twitter alone, her works has been viewed over 250 million times. That’s reach. All told, her content has been viewed hundreds of millions of times with one goal: “to achieve gender justice for queer and marginalized people through education and understanding.” Thanks for listening! Now follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Threads. And please consider becoming a Patreon supporter at www.patreon.com/podcastunreasonable. It's a small price to pay to help keep America from becoming a theocracy, dontchya think?

On June 12, 2016, life changed for Brandon Wolf. He crouched in a bathroom while a gunman opened fire at Orlando’s Pulse Nightclub, killing his best friends, Drew Leinonen & Juan Guerrero, and 47 others. Rather than be swallowed by the anger and fear of tragedy, Brandon set out to honor the victims’ legacies with action. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Brandon co-founded The Dru Project, a nonprofit organization that works to empower youth and provide future leaders in the LGBTQ community funding for higher education. To date, the organization has given over $150,000 in college scholarships to rising leaders. He also became an outspoken activist in the gun violence prevention movement, partnering with March For Our Lives, Everytown, Giffords, and others to demand legislative solutions to the epidemic. In 2019, he became the first survivor of the tragedy at Pulse Nightclub to testify before Congress. Today, Brandon is a nationally-recognized gun safety and LGBTQ civil rights advocate and dynamic public speaker. He currently serves as National Press Secretary for the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization. He is the author of the memoir, "A Place for Us." Thanks for listening! Now follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Threads. And please consider becoming a Patreon supporter at www.patreon.com/podcastunreasonable. It's a small price to pay to help keep America from becoming a theocracy, dontchya think?

By his own definition, Todd Stiefel is weathly. He just is. That’s not a judgment, just a fact. When his family business was sold and the non-compete clause kicked in, he was left financially secure and without a career. His years of preparation to lead the company were rendered unnecessary. One day he was Chief Strategy Officer of Stiefel Laboratories. Next, he’s searching for ways to protect, and make the best use of, his windfall. He created the Stiefel Freethought Foundation, whose mission is to “secure humanity’s future by ensuring public policy decisions are based on love and reason rather than bias and dogma.” He has gifted over $8.7 million to charitable causes, including $7.7 million dollars to nonprofit organizations in the secular movement. We met Stiefel at the Summit for Religous Freedom in April. This interview follows up on a screening of the new documentary, "Bad Faith," (Stiefel is an executive producer) that closed out the event. Thanks for listening! Now follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Threads. And please consider becoming a Patreon supporter at www.patreon.com/podcastunreasonable. It's a small price to pay to help keep America from becoming a theocracy, dontchya think?

Dr. Anthea Butler is Geraldine R. Segal Professor in American Social Thought, and chair of the department of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. A historian of African American and American religion, her research and writing spans African American religion and history, Nationalism, race, politics, Evangelicalism, gender and sexuality, media, and popular culture. She is an opinion writer for MSNBC, and her articles have been featured in the New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, NBC, and The Guardian. Dr. Butler is also the author of “White Evangelical Racism: The Politics of Morality in America.” So with that portfolio, you might find be suprised to learn that she has some thoughts on our current religio-political moment. Thanks for listening! Now follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Threads. And please consider becoming a Patreon supporter at www.patreon.com/podcastunreasonable. It's a small price to pay to help keep America from becoming a theocracy, dontchya think?

Tim Whitaker is a true believer. The creator and facilitator of The New Evangelicals podcast, Tim advocates for the marginalized within the church, exploring the full depth and breadth of Christian faith traditions, and seeks to hold toxic churches and their leaders accountable. So if you’re appalled by watching the America you thought you knew violently shapeshift into an authoritarian theocracy, imagine what it’s like for those who have a completely different understanding of religion — a progressive one — witness the debasing of their country at the hands of those cravenly reinterpreting the sacred tenets of their faith. In an age of Christian cosplay, The New Evangelicals seek to reclaim the evangelical tradition by embracing Christ-like values like inclusivity, diversity, and respectfulness. The New Evangelicals “advocate for a restored church that recognizes the imago dei in others, and does not dehumanize anyone in their journey.” Imagine that. Thanks for listening! Now follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Threads. And please consider becoming a Patreon supporter at www.patreon.com/podcastunreasonable. It's a small price to pay to help keep America from becoming a theocracy, dontchya think?

We're going to assume that if you're listening to this, Jamie Raskin needs no introduction. He's an icon among progressives and the secular movement. He co-chairs the Congressional Freethought Caucus with Rep. Jared Huffman from California. Even if you're not especially politically engaged, you couldn't have missed him as a forceful and learned voice for justice during the criminal investigation into J6. Prior to his political career, he was a professor of constitutional law at American University. He's the author of several books, including the must-read "Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy," which tracks the simultaneity of his own personal tragedy with the political convulsions surrounding the 2020 presidential election. Thanks for listening! Now follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Threads. And please consider becoming a Patreon supporter at www.patreon.com/podcastunreasonable. It's a small price to pay to help keep America from becoming a theocracy, dontchya think?

Ani Zonneveld is a writer, singer/songwriter, and founder and president of Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV), an international human rights organization that advocates for social justice and equality for all, and supports freedom of expression and of conscience, women’s rights and, as an ally, LGBTQ rights. She spoke with Unreasonable about the false narratives around Islam, the religion's view on abortion, America's equivalent to the Taliban, and her message of social justice and peace from a progressive Muslim woman’s perspective. Thanks for listening! Now follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Threads. And please consider becoming a Patreon supporter at www.patreon.com/podcastunreasonable. It's a small price to pay to help keep America from becoming a theocracy, dontchya think?

Like just about everyone we know, Jason Berlin woke up one morning in November 2016 and realized he had to change his life. Being a writer for a reality comedy TV show was all fun and games. But real life had taken a dark turn with the election of a new president who, let’s just say, was not Hillary Clinton. He became an activist. And now, his grassroots organization, Field Team 6, is a political powerhouse, registering new voters around the country. Their slogan is "Register Democrats. Save The World." Jason and FT6 are doing their part. Listen and learn how you can join them. Thanks for listening! Now follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Threads. And please consider becoming a Patreon supporter at www.patreon.com/podcastunreasonable. It's a small price to pay to help keep America from becoming a theocracy, dontchya think?

LIVE FROM SRF is a new limited series from Unreasonable, recorded at the 2024 Summit for Religious Freedom in Washington, D.C., April 13-16. We kick off the series with the event's host, Rachel Laser, Americans United for Separation of Church and State’s formidable president and CEO. In this conversation she sets the tone for the amazing and illuminating conversations coming your way by describing the political landscape, the measures AU is taking against religious intrusions on our secular democracy, and the organization’s ambitious plans for the future. Thanks for listening! Now follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Threads. And please consider becoming a Patreon supporter at www.patreon.com/podcastunreasonable. It's a small price to pay to help keep America from becoming a theocracy, dontchya think?

With this episode, we begin a four-part series focused on those individuals and groups around the country who are leading the secular ground game. Some are facing tsunamis of resistance. Others are making headway. But the brighter the light on their efforts the easier to find and join them. You can contribute to their work, get your hands dirty, hit the streets. work alongside them toward the world we all wish to see. But first you have to know who they are. In upcoming episodes we'll focus on Michigan and Wisconsin, Arizona and Nevada, and Georgia and North Carolina. Let's start at Ground Zero: Florida and Texas. Thanks for listening! Now follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Threads. And please consider becoming a Patreon supporter at www.patreon.com/podcastunreasonable. It's a small price to pay to help keep America from becoming a theocracy, dontchya think?

What if young people took their collective future into their own hands, cultivated and supported their own candidates, rather than relying on the elders who appear increasingly out-of-touch with their concerns and will inevitably disappoint them? That sounds promising, until you discover the incredibly low voter registration rates among high schoolers arriving at the age that was once considered a major milestone: voting in your first election. Culture warriors have made it so that the simplest civics lesson is contested, reducing that awareness, and many teachers watch their words out of fear of being accused of “indoctrination.” Who really knows what these kids are being taught? Jahnavi Rao knows. At 16, the now 23-year-old Harvard grad founded New Voters, and held her first voter registration drive amongst her fellow high schoolers in Berwyn, PA. Since then, over 300 volunteers have registered more than 80,000 young voters across 39 states, thanks to New Voters. In this conversation, Jahnavi provides insight to a demographic we think we know, but probably don’t. It turns out that Gen Zs are more than their characterization as smartphone ostriches, buried in their curated virtual worlds as the real world conspires against them. The kids are alright. And it’s their turn to lead. Please share this conversation with the young people in your life. It’s an important message. But it's better if they hear it from her. Thanks for listening! Now follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Threads. And please consider becoming a Patreon supporter at www.patreon.com/podcastunreasonable. It's a small price to pay to help keep America from becoming a theocracy, dontchya think?

David and Christina talk to one of the country’s leading lights in the area of American constitutional law and dean of Berkeley Law, about the various interpretations of the First Amendment’s two religion clauses; freedom of speech in the age of artificial intelligence and political deep-fakes; staying positive and vigilant even as an overreaching Supreme Court undermines the constitution it is sworn to uphold; judicial term limits and expansion of the Court; the electoral college, even where Chemerinsky and Antonin Scalia find common ground. Thanks for listening! Now follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Threads. And please consider becoming a Patreon supporter at www.patreon.com/podcastunreasonable. It's a small price to pay to help keep America from becoming a theocracy, dontchya think?

To help us better understand our Christian brethren, and how to build alliances between people of faith and those who are perfectly good without a god, we invited into the studio someone whose name is mentioned frequently on the podcast, usually preceded by the phrase “devout Christian”: David’s wife Kaitlyn Waterson. Where do this couple, an atheist and “devout Christian” find common ground? Religiously polar opposites, where do their politics intersect? What do those kitchen table conversations sound like and are there lessons to be learned there? In the final Unreasonable Coffee before the launch of Season Two on March 15, Christina pivots from election guru to marriage counselor, in this fascinating conversation with David and Kaitlyn. Thanks for listening! Now follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Threads. And please consider becoming a Patreon supporter at www.patreon.com/podcastunreasonable. It's a small price to pay to help keep America from becoming a theocracy, dontchya think?

This week's Unreasonable Coffee is served steaming hot! Christina is so pissed off she needs a dose of David's hopium to cool her off. Her ire is focused on the Supreme Court’s brazen disingenuousness over their backtracking on whether to hear the case for and against presidential immunity. At first, they punted to the Circuit Court. When that ruling didn’t go their way, they elected to receive. How will that decision impact the election? Plus, is the right's "firehose of bullshit" wearing us down? That, and more... Thanks for listening! Now follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Threads. And please consider becoming a Patreon supporter at www.patreon.com/podcastunreasonable. It's a small price to pay to help keep America from becoming a theocracy, dontchya think?

On this week's Unreasonable Coffee, David and Christina bring their hot takes to the extra-uterine children of Alabama, Tom Suozzi's winning strategy, eau de Trump, and why we brewed this Coffee just too damn early in the day. Thanks for listening! Now follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Threads. And please consider becoming a Patreon supporter at www.patreon.com/podcastunreasonable. It's a small price to pay to help keep America from becoming a theocracy, dontchya think?

This time, David and Christina review the week’s special elections in New York and Pennsylvania; coming of age in the age of internet disinformation; Chris Ullery’s reporting on the Central Bucks school board member; David’s UUism and progressive allies in faith; religious and political Super Bowl ads. Thanks for listening! Now follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Threads. And please consider becoming a Patreon supporter at www.patreon.com/podcastunreasonable. It's a small price to pay to help keep America from becoming a theocracy, dontchya think?

Over this week’s cuppa, David and Christina discuss the Independent State Legislature Theory in light of the just-concluded SCOTUS arguments regarding Colorado’s assertion that the 14th Amendment empowers the state to remove certain individuals from its primary ballot; Breaching the Mainstream project by the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights; a case for open primaries; the latest NAR-cissistic doublespeak coming from C. Peter Wagner-anointed “apostle” Lance Wallnau; a win against Project Veritas; the disbanding of Moms for Liberty in Lehigh County; and an introduction to Conservapedia, the alt-fact reference site. Thanks for listening! Now follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Threads. And please consider becoming a Patreon supporter at www.patreon.com/podcastunreasonable. It's a small price to pay to help keep America from becoming a theocracy, dontchya think?

This week on Unreasonable Coffee, David and Christina wonk out on political fatigue, the endorsement process, the problem of judicial retention, as well as Turning Point USA crazy talk, a win for The Satanic Temple, and whether Taylor and Travis are psyops. Thanks for listening! Now follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Threads. And please consider becoming a Patreon supporter at www.patreon.com/podcastunreasonable. It's a small price to pay to help keep America from becoming a theocracy, dontchya think?

During our hiatus, David and Christina engage in a series of mid-season one-on-one conversations analyzing the latest news, offering tools for engagement and serving up reasons for optimism. This week, they discuss a bill allowing the National Prayer Breakfast to be held in the Capital Rotunda, making faith-nonfaith marriages work, candidate vetting, the less-obvious value of lobbying, the work Wil Jeudy and Secular Houston are doing on the ground in Texas, tools for growing a secular electorate, and the positivity of pluralism. Season Two of Unreasonable starts March 15! Thanks for listening! Now follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Threads. And please consider becoming a Patreon supporter at www.patreon.com/podcastunreasonable. It's a small price to pay to help keep America from becoming a theocracy, dontchya think?

During our hiatus, Unreasonable is gearing up for what will be an extremely active year. But between now and March 15, David and Christina will engage in a series of mid-season one-on-one conversations analyzing the latest news, issue calls to action and, as is their wont, share reasons for optimism. This week, they consider the results of the Iowa caucuses, conservative campaigns courting the Jewish vote in light of the Israel/Hamas war, and whether Democrats have been complicit in normalizing the extremism of Republican candidates. Thanks for listening! Now follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Threads. And please consider becoming a Patreon supporter at www.patreon.com/podcastunreasonable. It's a small price to pay to help keep America from becoming a theocracy, dontchya think?