Annie Laurie Gaylor co-founded the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) with her mother, Anne Nicol Gaylor, as a college student in 1976. She has been co-president since 2004. Her student protest ended commencement prayers at the University Wisconsin–Madison.
Annie Laurie is a 1980 graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Journalism School. After graduation, she founded, edited and published the Feminist Connection, a monthly advocacy newspaper, from 1980 to 1985. She first joined the FFRF staff in 1985, serving as editor of Freethought Today, FFRF’s newspaper, from 1985 to 2009.
Her book, “Woe to the Women: The Bible Tells Me So,” was first published by FFRF in 1981. In 1988, FFRF published “Betrayal of Trust: Clergy Abuse of Children,” the first book documenting widespread sexual abuse by clergy. Her 1997 anthology, “Women Without Superstition: No Gods, No Masters,” is the first collection of the writings of historic and contemporary women freethinkers.
She has been a plaintiff in or overseen many state/church lawsuits and actions by FFRF. Dan Barker, whom she married in 1987, serves as FFRF co-president with her. She and Dan have produced and hosted FFRF’s weekly radio program “Freethought Radio” since 2006, and have produced and hosted FFRF’s talk show “Freethought Matters” since 2017.