Man Behind Gay Pride ‘Festivus’ Displays Launches ‘In Satan We Trust’ Campaign

Chaz Stevens Wants Alternative Plaques In Government Buildings That Display “In God We Trust” 

After successfully erecting gay Pride “Festivus” poles at seven state capitols this year, Chaz Stevens has hatched a more devilish plot — literally. 

Stevens, executive director of the Florida-based Humanity Fund, wants to put up “In Satan We Trust” banners in government buildings that display “In God We Trust.” 

Just as with the Festivus poles, the goal of the “In Satan We Trust” banners is to highlight free speech and the separation of church and state. 

“In the end, the right has James O’Keefe of the Veritas Project, and outside of the animal rights folks, those on the left sorely need my militant atheistic efforts,” Stevens wrote in an email to The New Civil Rights Movement. “You might not like me … you might even loathe me, but I get results.” 

It would be difficult to argue that Stevens didn’t get results with his gay Pride “Festivus” pole campaign this year. He drew national media attention by erecting them at state capitols in Washington, Illinois, Missouri, Michigan, Oklahoma, Georgia and Florida. 

The 6-foot tall poles, adorned with 8-inch disco balls and wrapped in the colors of the LGBT rainbow, mark the Dec. 23 anti-commercial parody holiday made famous by an episode of the popular 1990’s TV sitcom, “Seinfeld.” 

Although the Festivus pole campaign reached new heights in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of nationwide marriage equality, the first was erected in Florida two years ago.

“In December of 2013, I felt the religious symbols being displayed in the state of Florida capitol rotunda building were showing the state’s endorsement of a certain viewpoint. So I forced the state of Florida to allow me to erect a Festivus pole,” Stevens said. 

“Sure, a Festivus Pole is a silly gesture, but it’s a world wide recognizable symbol that provides us with a vehicle to promote awareness to the issue of Christian privilege and the religious right’s manufactured” outrage, he added.  

That type of outrage was evident this year in places like Oklahoma, where lawmakers complained the pole was “sacrilegious” and part of the “war on Christmas.” However, if states allowed nativity scenes but not Festivus poles, they likely would have invited lawsuits. 

Next year, Stevens is aiming to place the poles in all 50 state capitols. But he’s also launching the “In Satan We Trust” campaign, beginning in Hallandale, Florida, where the mayor is pushing for an “In God We Trust” plaque. 

According to In God We Trust America, a national group that advocates displaying the motto, 373 local governments in 15 states were doing so as of last year. 

“In God We Trust,” which appears on US currency, has survived court challenges based on the establishment clause, but groups like the ACLU have questioned its legality in other contexts. 

“Especially in a courthouse or council chambers, people should not be made to feel like outsiders in their own community because they don’t share the dominant religious view,” said Victoria Middleton, executive director of the ACLU of South Carolina. 

Earlier this year, the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation sent letters to 30 US law enforcement agencies, objecting to the display of “In God We Trust” on police cruisers. 

In response to the letters, one Texas police chief told the foundation to “go fly a kite,” and right-wing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued an opinion saying the displays were legal, although he acknowledged there are no court rulings addressing the specific issue. 

According to Breitbart, some police officials believe displaying “In God We Trust” on cruisers somehow counters mounting criticism of law enforcement amid a series of controversial fatal shootings across the nation.   

Stevens said the Humanity Fund is launching a nonprofit to fund the Festivus and “In Satan We Trust” projects, as well as partnering with a well-known legal firm that handles First Amendment cases. The group is also working on a documentary and plans to put up a KickStarter page in the next few weeks. 

“If you proclaim yourself worried about the separation of church and state, then you either get off your ass and get in the game, or open your wallet,” he wrote.

 

Image of Chaz Stevens: Screenshot via Chaz Stevens/YouTube
Image of Festivus pole via Facebook