Sean Faircloth

Sean Faircloth
Sean Faircloth - May 5, 2011 - Raleigh, North Carolina
Member of the Maine House of Representatives from the 17th / 117th district
In office December 2002 – December 2008
Preceded by	Christina L. Baker
Succeeded by	Sara R. Stevens
Member of the Maine Senate from the 9th district
In office December 1994 – December 1996
Preceded by	John E. Baldacci
Succeeded by	Robert E. Murray Jr.
Member of the Maine House of Representatives
In office December 1992 – December 1994
Personal details
Born	(1960-05-23) May 23, 1960 (age 56) Bangor, Maine, United States
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	University of Notre Dame, University of California, Hastings College of the Law
Profession	attorney, politician

Sean Faircloth (born May 23, 1960) is an American writer and politician from Maine, as of 2016 he is serving as the mayor of Bangor, Maine. Faircloth is the author of Attack of the Theocrats! How the Religious Right Harms Us All – and What We Can Do About It, an attorney and five-term state legislator. While in the legislature, Faircloth was appointed to the Judiciary and Appropriations Committees. In his final term, Faircloth was elected Majority Whip. In 2009 Faircloth became executive director of the Secular Coalition for America, advocating for separation of church and state, and for greater acceptance of nontheistic viewpoints in American life. In September 2011 he became the Director of Strategy and Policy for the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science and was the opening speaker for Dawkins' book tour. Faircloth's first book published by Pitchstone Press, Attack of the Theocrats! How the Religious Right Harms Us All - and What We Can Do About It was released in February 2012.

Faircloth had the idea for the Maine Discovery Museum in 1996 and led the project from concept to completion in 2001. Maine Discovery Museum was then the second largest children's museum outside Boston in New England.

Faircloth successfully spearheaded over thirty laws, including the so-called Deadbeat Dad child support law which was later incorporated into federal law. Faircloth had numerous legislative successes in children's issues and justice system reform.

Faircloth has spoken around the United States regarding the U.S. Constitution, children's policy, obesity policy, and sex crime law. In 2013 Faircloth traveled to New Zealand and Australia, lecturing at the Sydney Opera House to start policy oriented secular groups, whose model can be duplicated in other countries. In April 2014, Faircloth spoke in the Republic of Turkey about Atatürk, the Erdogan government and Turkish secularism.

Faircloth led the creation of Maine's Healthy Start child abuse prevention initiative, and sponsored the first law making possession of child pornography a crime in Maine.

“For his legislative accomplishments in the prevention of child sex abuse, and the healthy start child abuse prevention initiative, and for spearheading the deadbeat dad child support law,” Faircloth was named Legislator of the Year by the Maine Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers in 1995, and by the Maine Psychological Association. The deadbeat dad law was incorporated into a proposal by the Clinton administration. Laura Fortman, then Maine Women's Lobby Executive Director, said of this law, “Sean took the lead in proposing his revised amendment to members of the Appropriations Committee, in disagreement with some members of his own party on the Judiciary Committee, demonstrating tenacity and leadership. This legislation provided essential economic support for low-income women and children.” Maine's Chapter of the National Organization for Women said, “In his first term Sean Faircloth had a major impact on national public policy.”