An atheist group in Texas is claiming discrimination after a local movie theater backed out of an agreement to run ads for the organization during pre-movie slideshows.

A rep for the group tells CBS that his organization had signed a six-month contract with the theater but that the exhibitor decided to cancel that agreement one day before the ads to begin showing.

“[T]here were Christians in the community that were upset that atheists were able to advertise in the movie theaters and the business decided to cancel our contract simply on the basis of our religious beliefs,” he claims to CBS. “[I]t’s my understanding they allow churches to advertise there, and if they allow churches to advertise there, they should allow our organization to advertise there.”

An attorney with the American Humanist Association believes that the theater’s decision violates Title II of the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, saying that the law “prohibits a business establishment such as a theater from discriminating on the basis of religious views (such as atheism).”

The atheists have yet to file a lawsuit but tell CBS it’s a possibility.

Theater Denies Atheists Their Advertisement Time [CBSlocal.com]

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