LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY thexphial)

I am a strong believer that in order to fight Dominionism we must understand and fight for our rights as free people. With this in mind I have come up against an issue in my own workplace that has tested my resolve.

I work for a program that is state funded, under the administration of a local agency that receives some private money, but is mostly funded through state and federal grants. We have an anti-discrimination policy in place and have all been trained on what constitutes harassment, including religious harassment. In spite of this, there are several ways in which Christianity, and evangelical Christianity in specific, are promoted through the agency.

My particular problem is with the email system. I must use my agency email address for work purposes and am often hit with emails that have signatures with Bible verses or exhortations to examine my soul for sin in them. I have mentioned it to my immediate boss, and she agreed it was inappropriate, but I continue to get the emails. I have also received mass email invitations of events hosted by Teen Mania and YWAM, both of which are headquartered nearby. Recently a co-worker announced that he was resigning via email and took the opportunity to ask the entire agency to pledge money to his new place of employment, an evangelical program to minister to at-risk youth.

Again, I brought this to the attention of my boss, and she told me it was inappropriate, but since he was leaving anyway, there was nothing she could do. I would like to have the agency institute a policy of no religious content through the agency email system, but am unsure how to go about getting this done. I like my job, and I work in an at-will state where anyone can be fired for any reason, or no reason at all. Surely, since the email system is paid for by state and federal funds, I have some legal recourse here. I chose to work for this program in part because it was not faith-based in any way, and I would like to continue being able to work there without being hated for stirring trouble.

So, is there a specific agency or program that would be able to help me with this? Would the ACLU be an appropriate place to start? Though it is not interfering with my ability to do my job, I am afraid that if I leave it unchecked the tendrils of inappropriate crossover between church and state will grow. I am afraid that it will start to affect the clientèle, much of which is at-risk and highly vulnerable due to mental retardation, mental illness, and poverty.