Humanist Society Scotland

Get Involved - Humanist Society Scotland Home > Get Involved

If you feel the same way, come hang out with us at Humanist Society Scotland! We run loads of fun events, we’ve got a newsletter you can sign up for, and you can also sign up as a member (or do all three 😉).

Want to get involved? Check out our website www.humanism.scot/get-involved/

A picture of Kathy Burke over a screenshot of one of her tweets where she writes: "I love being 'woke', it's much nicer than being an ignorant f**king t**t."

Kathy Burke definitely doesn't mince her words 😅

But if having empathy, kindness, and basic respect for other people counts as a “woke mind virus”, then honestly? Infect us immediately. 🦠💖

We’ll take being “woke” over being cruel and dismissive of people’s lives and struggles any day of the week.

If you agree, now’s the time to act: write to your MSP and urge them to support an amendment that gives every young person the right to decide for themselves. humanist.eaction.org.uk/religious-ob...

During the debate, Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton (above) spoke of his commitment to fighting for children’s rights. He remarked that “we need to allow for children themselves to withdraw from religious observance”, pointing to the recommendations of the UN Children’s committee.

The Religious Observance Bill has passed a first-stage vote in the Scottish Parliament, but there’s still crucial work to do to persuade Holyrood that school pupils deserve an independent right to opt out of religious worship.

You can read Reuters' article about the false 'Tesco bans Christmas' claim here: www.reuters.com/fact-check/t...

Screenshot of two tweets: one says TESCO ARE NO LONGER CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS. Their Christmas trees are now called Evergreen trees. @tesco do better. A second says: "remember folks, Patriotic British culture is making a wazzock of yourself saying Tesco have banned Christmas trees."

Breaking news: Christmas still exists. Unfortunately, culture-war nonsense does too.

Claims Tesco has “banned Christmas” are just another racist dogwhistle, not a defence of anyone’s actual faith. They feed a false idea that "white British" cultural traditions are being “taken away” by minorities.

Image of actor George Clooney with the quote: "I don't believe in heaven and hell. I don't know if I believe in God. All I know is that as an individual I wont allow this life, the only thing I know to exist, to be wasted"

Happy Monday, everyone! Here's a reminder from George Clooney to carry into the week: life isn’t something to wait out or wander through. It’s the one real, tangible experience we know we get.

So let this week be one where you choose connection and joy in the small things as much as the big ones.

Winter remembrances ceremony (North Ayrshire) - Humanist Society Scotland Join celebrants Maggie Kinloch, Lesley Adam and Libby Smillie for a ceremony of songs, stories and memories of those you love.

You’re welcome to bring cards or wreaths to place in the Memorial Garden (pictured above) as a personal tribute.

No booking needed, just come as you are.
✨ Saturday 13 December, 11am
All are welcome: www.humanism.scot/events/winte...

December can be a challenging time of year for those who have lost loved ones, so please join us for a morning of gentle reflection. 💛

Celebrants Maggie Kinloch, Lesley Adam and Libby Smillie will lead a special ceremony of songs, stories and memories at Clyde Coast and Garnock Valley Crematorium.

Reproductive Rights - Humanist Society Scotland We support the decriminalisation of abortion, provision of abortion care up to the legal limit, and buffer zones around abortion clinics.

At Humanist Society Scotland, we support expanding access to abortion up to the full 24-week legal limit across Scotland — so everyone can receive compassionate, safe care close to home.

You can find out more about where we stand on reproductive rights here: www.humanism.scot/campaigns/re...

Many Scottish women between 20–24 weeks are being forced to travel hundreds of miles to England to access healthcare they are fully entitled to at home.

Some are under 16. Some are survivors of abuse. Others face complex barriers that make travelling impossible, yet they must do it anyway. (2/3)

We were honoured to welcome reproductive rights campaigner Lucy Grieve to our Festival of Humanism in Glasgow.

Lucy spoke about young women in Scotland who find themselves in unthinkably difficult situations simply because our NHS stops providing most abortion care after 20 weeks.

Two-thirds of Scots support independent pupil opt-out for religious observance, new poll shows - Humanist Society Scotland A new poll on the public’s view of religion in schools is published ahead of a key vote at Holyrood today. MSPs will debate the ‘Religious Observance’ Bill for the first time this afternoon (25…

What's more, our research has revealed that support for an independent pupil opt-out from religious observance stands at 66%.

You can find out more about our new poll here: www.humanism.scot/2025/11/25/t...

A screenshot of a newspaper story that reads: "Aberdeen: Children told 'Santa is not real' by teacher during primary school lesson. During a lesson at Greenbrae Primary School in the Bridge of Don area of Aberdeen, primary six pupils were discussing All Saints' Day. It is understood that this discussion resulted in questions regarding a number of saints, including St Nicholas. During the conversation it is alleged that a staff member told pupils that Santa, who is inspired by St Nicholas, is not real. Speaking to the Press and Journal, parents of a P4 pupil said "this shouldn't be a topic that is discussed at school time at all."

A teacher allegedly telling pupils “Santa isn’t real” sparked headlines recently, highlighting a bigger question about what children are told in Scottish schools, and who gets to decide.

Right now, pupils across Scotland can still be led in prayer and worship with no independent right to opt out.

Flag crackdown urged as asylum protests 'fueling fear' in Aberdeen For several months, regular demonstrations have taken place outside hotels in Aberdeen believed to be hosting asylum seekers and refugees.

Refugees are welcome in Scotland. And as humanists, it’s our duty to stand up to racism, fear-mongering, and hatred wherever it appears, including here at home.

Scotland is better than this. Let’s prove it. 💪 You can read the full news story here: www.heraldscotland.com/politics/wes...

Screenshot of a newspaper headline saying "Flag Crackdown urged as asylum protests fueling fear in Aberdeen' below is a screenshot of a video posted by anti-immigrant protest group AAIM, which shows a man wearing a hoodie with a saltire flag version of scotland shouting into a loudspeaker, in front of a banner that says Protect Our People, Protect Our Culture."

For everyone still insisting that flag-waving, anti-immigrant protests are “an English problem”, tell that to the people of Aberdeen.

A councillor is asking that Saltires be removed from public spaces because anti-asylum protesters have twisted it into a symbol of "hostility and division".

UK worship laws under scrutiny: two thirds of Scots back pupils’ rights to withdraw The UK’s collective worship laws are under fresh scrutiny as a Survation poll commissioned by Humanist Society Scotland (HSS) found that two thirds of Scottish people think pupils themselves should…

This @humanistsociety.bsky.social poll, following on from the landmark Supreme Court ruling in NI, should be a wake-up call to the Scottish Government and indeed governments across the UK that collective worship laws are out of step with the needs of young people. humanists.uk/2025/11/25/u...

Humanist Society Scotland explores the issue of withdrawal rights for religious observance for children across Scotland Written by Joe Higgins, Policy & Campaigns Officer, Humanist Society Scotland Everyone is free to choose their own religion or belief. Yet children in Scotland can be compelled to take part in …

Read all about it here: togetherscotland.blog/2025/11/20/h...

An image of a parent's quote, the quote reads: "We became aware that my daughter was being forced to pray because she told us how uncomfortable she felt. She went along with it the first time she was told to do it but the second time she just sat quietly. She was told by an adult that she was being disrespectful if she didn't go along with it. She was upset and embarrassed by this. This was when we started to ask her about the religion being taught in school."

Our new blog post explores why Scotland’s current law on religious observance is failing children, and why the Government’s new Bill, set to be debated today, still doesn’t give young people the basic freedom the UNCRC says they’re entitled to: the right to decide for themselves.

Festival of Humanism 2025: A day of reflection, inspiration, creativity and laughter - Humanist Society Scotland Our 2025 Festival of Humanism, held at the beautiful Clayton Hotel in Glasgow on Saturday 8 November, brought together an inspiring range of voices working for equality, creativity, and social change…

You can read more about the Festival of Humanism 2025 and all the speakers here: www.humanism.scot/2025/11/11/f...

He spoke about how not learning about LGBT figures at school had impacted him, and how Scotland is now leading the way as a truly LGBT-inclusive country, and making Scottish schools a better and safer place for LGBT young people. 🙌 #ScotlandLeadsTheWay

🌈 "The approach we have in Scotland is world-leading. We are the only country to currently have a national policy (of LGBT-inclusive education)."

We loved hearing from Time For Inclusive Education Scotland co-founder Jordan Daly at our recent Festival of Humanism.

"New poll" with results in the middle, Humanist Society Scotland logo at the bottom. Graphic.

Question at the top, chart in the middle and source at the bottom. Graphic.

📣Two-thirds of Scots support independent pupil opt-out for religious observance, new poll by our member @humanistsociety.bsky.social shows

Read more here ➡️ www.humanism.scot/2025/11/25/t...

Two-thirds of Scots support independent pupil opt-out for religious observance, new poll shows

Get the full story here: www.humanism.scot/2025/11/25/t...

...This poll shows just how out of step that is with public opinion and with a basic, common-sense understanding of children’s rights. If a teenager is old enough to form their own view about religion, they are old enough to decide whether or not to take part in worship at school.

Commenting ahead of today's Stage 1 vote on the 'Religious Observance Bill', our CEO Fraser Sutherland said:

"Two-thirds of Scots think young people should have the final say over where they take part in religious observance, yet the Scottish Government still wants to leave the veto with parents.

NEW POLL: TWO-THIRDS OF SCOTS BACK AN INDEPENDENT PUPIL OPT-OUT FOR RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCE

We launch landmark report, Preaching is not Teaching, on religious observance in Scottish schools. - Humanist Society Scotland State schools in Scotland are required to provide compulsory acts of religious observance. How can we still justify this in a secular democracy? Our new report, Preaching is Not Teaching, draws on…

Testimonies from our report, Preaching is not Teaching, highlight that RO is too often exclusively Christian and worship-based.

Andrew Tickell: Sleepwalking into a bill that robs children of right to disbelieve The court calls her “JR87”. She’s now 11 years old, from a small community in Northern Ireland, and last week, she secured one of the most…

In his column in The National, Andrew warns that Scottish Ministers could be faced with a similar lawsuit unless they ensure religious observance is always delivered inclusively.