Iowa atheist group membership grows after bus ad controversy

August 14, 8:37 AMAtheism ExaminerTrina Hoaks

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Earlier this month a controversy was sparked in Des Moines, Iowa that gained national attention. The Iowa Atheists & Freethinkers (IAF) applied to run ads on the sides of 20 buses. The ads went up and within a few days they were removed by the local transit authority, Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART). It was said that the ads went up by mistake and that they were never approved.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) got involved in the conversation questioning the legality of the actions of DART. After a meeting between the transit authority and the atheist group, the ads went back up. Although IAF was asked to change their ad, they refused and the ads went back up as they were (see ad above).

IAF ended up getting much free publicity that they hadn't counted on out of the whole thing. Many news sources covered the story drawing attention to the group. And, it seems, that publicity has paid off. According to a report, the group's membership numbers have doubled since this whole thing began. They now have over 250 members.