I'm also an atheist, have been for a long time. I also hate getting lumped in with these dbags. I could try to formulate a well-reasoned argument for why we shouldn't admonish religious people, but you cannot reason someone out of a position they didn't reason themselves into, and the performative kind of hate that people like Lovable Sidekick have towards all religious beliefs and practices is not founded on reason.

I cannot convince Lovable Sidekick to stfu, because they do not care about the effect they have on our image, they care about people knowing they're an atheist. I might convince other atheists to stfu, by making fun of the insufferable ones.