Air Force Base Removes Religious Posters after Accusations of Sexism
- Updated Mar 03, 2017
Several posters that had been on display for at least six years at Langley Air Force have been taken down after complaints were filed, alleging that they were sexist and used religious language.
According to Military.com, the complaints were filed by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.
One of the posters that the foundation accused of violating the separation of church and state read, "Men cannot live without faith except for brief moments of anarchy or despair. Faith leads to conviction -- and convictions lead to actions. It is only a man of deep convictions, a man of deep faith, who will make the sacrifices needed to save his manhood. ... It is obvious that our enemy will attack us at our weakest spot. The hole in our armor is our lack of faith. We need to revive a fighting faith by which we can live, and for which we would be willing even to die."
The Air Force dismissed this first complaint because it said, although the poster referenced faith, it did not specify any particular faith.
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation then filed another complaint, joined by the National Organization of Women (NOW), claiming that the poster was not only a violation of the separation of church and state, but was sexist since it did not take into account women who serve in the military.
"What message does that send to young women who currently serve, or want to serve, in the military?" NOW President Terry O'Neill wrote. "What do you say to the women in your command who make the same sacrifices to protect their country as do men? General, there is simply no compromise when it comes to fighting the bigotry of sexism nor the prejudice of religious triumphalism. Women are just as patriotic, just as dedicated and just as worthy of our nation's trust as their male counterparts."
Due to this complaint, the posters were taken down and will reportedly be updated to reflect a more inclusive agenda.
Photo courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com
Publication date: March 3, 2017
