Out Campaign
[Image:ScarletLetter.svg|right|thumb|The scarlet 'A']
The Out Campaign is a public awareness initiative for freethought and atheism in the US. It was initiated by Robin Elisabeth Cornwell, and is endorsed by Richard Dawkins, a prominent atheist. The campaign aims to create more openness about being an atheist by providing a means by which atheists can identify themselves to others by displaying the movement's scarlet letter A, a scarlet colored capital "A" in the Zapfino typeface, and an allusion to the scarlet letter A worn by Hester Prynne, the protagonist in Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1850 novel The Scarlet Letter, after she is convicted of adultery. It encourages those who wish to be part of the campaign to come out and re-appropriate, in a humorous way, the social stigma that in some places persists against atheism, by branding themselves with a scarlet letter.
Campaign
Cornwell has stated that the gay rights movement was a source of inspiration for the campaign. The campaign, however, encourages one to "out" only oneself; it invites atheists to:Reach out and talk to others about atheism and help spread a positive view of atheismSpeak out about their own beliefs and values without feeling intimidated, thus helping people realize that atheists don't fit stereotypes and are a very diverse groupKeep out, meaning to promote the idea that religion should be kept out of public schools and government, and that nobody's religious agenda should be allowed to intimidateStand out and become visible in their communities and become involved. An offshoot of Stand out is the Non-Believers Giving Aid campaign, which has raised money to help out in the aftermath of disaster. The A+ symbol used in the campaign refers to Atheists Standing out for their activism in social and humanitarian efforts.[Image:Stand out.gif|right|thumb|Artwork from T-shirt sleeve]
The campaign produces discreet attire that is centered on the scarlet "A", and the term "OUT" which is usually typographically isolated from the rest of the containing phrase. There is no overt mention of atheism other than the use of the symbols. The "A" is one of the most popular symbols for atheism in current usage. Nonetheless, American Christian organizations have begun to respond: the campaign has even been called "a wake-up call" for Christians.
The campaign produced T-shirts, hoodies, bumper stickers, stickers, and lapel pins sold through Richard Dawkins's online store, with the proceeds going to the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science.