Thousands of atheists gathering in DC for Reason Rally Saturday

While the rally has scheduled musical entertainment, flashy speakers and late-night cocktail hours at neighboring hotels, the thousands of “nones” — people who don’t identify with any religion — coming to the nation’s capital.

The Reason Rally is “absolutely” a political event, said executive director Lyz Liddell. “That’s the reason we’re holding this in an election year. “We want to see reason taking precedence over religious-driven ideology.” The rally’s major issues of focus are climate change, reproductive rights and LGBT equality, all hotly contested political topics whose opposing voices often come from the religious right.