At its Annual General Meeting this weekend, members of Humanists UK voted to affirm their solidarity with humanist organisations in the United States and others around the world in standing up for human rights, secularism, and democratic values in the face of growing political hostility.
Humanists around the world stand alongside all people of goodwill, including religious people, who are working to uphold democratic values, resist religious nationalism, and defend the rights and freedoms of all.
The motion expressed support for US-based Members of Humanists International – the American Humanist Association, American Ethical Union, and American Atheists – applauding their resolve in challenging the rise of Christian Nationalism and authoritarian populism. It recognised the serious threats posed by this ideology, not just to humanists but to all people who value democracy and freedom of thought, including religious people. Significant threats and examples of democratic backsliding include the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on reproductive rights, LGBT equality, academic freedom, and environmental action.
In recent years, wealthy Christian nationalist groups such as the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) have not only shaped domestic US policy but have increasingly sought to influence political debate in the UK, particularly around issues like abortion and free expression.
Full motion approved by Humanists UK members at the 2025 AGM
This Annual General Meeting expresses its solidarity with humanist organisations in the United States and around the world who continue to stand up for humanist values and to defend human rights, secularism, democracy, and rational public discourse and debate, in an increasingly challenging political environment.
We note the ongoing political challenges to humanist values in the United States, including attacks on women’s rights, on LGBT rights, on policies of diversity and inclusion, on educational institutions and academic freedom, on the right to political protest, on global justice, and on action to tackle climate change and protect the natural environment – all of this fuelled by an ideology of Christian Nationalism and by the interests of an immensely wealthy and powerful minority.
We applaud our American partners, including the American Humanist Association, American Ethical Union, and American Atheists, for their resilience and resolve in standing up for the values of reason, compassion, and human dignity.
We concur with the Auckland Declaration Against the Politics of Division, approved by Humanists International in 2018, that “the best ethical foundation from which to approach the problems of today’s world and the future of us all is to try to see humanity as one global community.” We endorse and reaffirm the commitment in that Declaration for all humanists “to uphold and advocate the values of democracy, rule of law, equality, and human rights, and to identify and resist the politics of division wherever they see it in their own nations and internationally.”
Humanists UK Chief Executive Andrew Copson said:
‘In a world increasingly threatened by authoritarianism and the politics of division, the international humanist movement must stand united. This motion is a clear reaffirmation of our values and our solidarity with those defending them under pressure.’
Christian nationalist legal strategists have been engaged in a decades-long project to unpick the United States’ rights-based constitution, as seen in the successful overturning of Roe v Wade, and in attempts to undermine the separation of church and state envisioned by the nation’s Founding Fathers, as seen in the recent St Isidore case on state funding for religious schools. During the Trump administration, efforts to roll back protections for minorities, politicise the judiciary, censor public science, and erode constitutional checks and balances created an environment in which humanist values came under sustained threat. These included the censoring of scientific guidance by banning terms such as ‘evidence-based’ and ‘diversity’ in official health research, the restriction of reproductive healthcare and human rights funding through USAID, and attempts to undermine judicial independence and the rule of law.
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For further comment or information, media should contact Humanists UK Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson at press@humanists.uk or phone 0203 675 0959.
Humanists UK is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people. Powered by over 140,000 members and supporters, we advance free thinking and promote humanism to create a tolerant society where rational thinking and kindness prevail. We provide ceremonies, pastoral care, education, and support services benefitting over a million people every year and our campaigns advance humanist thinking on ethical issues, human rights, and equal treatment for all.