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Showing posts with label Humanists UK. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Humanists UK. Show all posts
Humanists UK ✒ David Pollock is our former trustee and a former President of the European Humanist Federation.


In 2011, Humanists International gave David the Distinguished Services to Humanism Award. We caught up with David recently to discuss his journey into humanism, our campaigns, and his long and accomplished career.

HUK: Hi David! How did you first discover the humanist movement?

DP: I joined the Oxford University Humanist Group in 1961. That gave me a label for my poorly articulated beliefs and it introduced me to the national humanist movement. In 1967, when the Ethical Union changed its name to British Humanist Association (now Humanists UK), my main field was parliament and law reform. I organised our then Humanist Parliamentary Group and ran the humanist lobby to get our members to write to their MPs. We helped win reforms on abortion, homosexuality, theatre censorship, and much else.

HUK: Could you share any highlights from your career in humanism?

DP: One would be back in Oxford in 1963 when we ran a high profile campaign against a Church mission to evangelise the university: such resistance was scandalous but gained us national publicity – and was great fun.

Continue reading @ Humanists UK.

Discussing 61 Years Of Humanist Activism ✑ Interview With David Pollock

Humanists UK ✒ Calls For Inclusion Of Non-Religious In Press Standards Code.



Humanists UK has responded to IMPRESS’ public consultation on proposed changes to its Standards Code and guidance. IMPRESS stands for Independent Monitor for the Press. It regulates over 190 news publications. The proposed changes intend to make the standards code more equitable. But Humanists UK has highlighted the exclusion of the non-religious and called for this to change.

The guidance incorrectly states that the code adopts the protected characteristics identified in the Equality Act 2010. But it narrowly states ‘religion’ only as a protected characteristic, while the Equality Act expressly protects ‘religion or belief’. The ‘belief’ part is important because that is what refers to non-religious beliefs, such as humanism. As such, the discrimination clauses of the code and guidance are themselves discriminatory as they privilege the protection of religious people while excluding those who hold non-religious beliefs.

Furthermore, various paragraphs of the guidance also cause problems. IMPRESS’ guidance rightly cites the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 which identifies that the criticism, even ridicule, insult, or abuse of religions or the beliefs and practices of their adherents does not amount to incitement of hatred.

Continue reading @ Humanists UK.

Calls For Inclusion Of Non-Religious In Press Standards Code

Humanists UK ✒ has expressed its outrage after the Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark reportedly banned a celebrated LGBT author from making educational visits to two state-funded Catholic schools.


Simon James Green is the author of 11 children’s books, and his work has been nominated for numerous awards, including the Carnegie Medal and the Blue Peter Book Award.

Once it became aware of a planned World Book Day visit by Mr Green to a Catholic secondary school in Croydon, the Archdiocese intervened, overruling the school leadership who had been more than happy for the visit to take place, and sacking several of the governors who tried to object. In a statement, Dr Simon Hughes, Director of Education at the Archdiocese said:

From time to time materials or events emerge for consideration that fall outside the scope of what is permissible in a Catholic school . . . The book-signing event scheduled for 7 March 2022 at The John Fisher School, Purley is one such event and we have recommended that the school’s leaders cancel it.

The school chaplain also opposed the decision of the school’s leadership. 

Continue reading @ Humanists UK.

Outrage As Catholic Archdiocese Bans LGBT Author From Speaking In State Schools

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