“This is not San Francisco,” one man exclaimed. “This is Brevard County!” And thanks to hundreds of vocal parents and pastors in Florida, it’ll stay that way. After a five-hour meeting at the Brevard County School District, the community broke into cheers and “amens” after winning a huge victory over political correctness. While the media hasn’t exactly been eager to cover the story, moms and dads of Brevard County packed out last Tuesday’s school board meeting to fight a proposal that would have added “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” to the district’s anti-discrimination and “equal employment” policies.

In a showdown with a single teacher who demanded the measure, big crowds turned out to resist the idea. More than 90 people spoke, most of them outraged at the thought of these special LGBT perks, which, as they pointed out, would lead to “reverse discrimination of Christian children.” Like other local boards and city councils, Brevard was weighing whether to open bathrooms and locker rooms to kids regardless of their biological sex. The subtle effect of the policy would be just as bad: marginalizing — or worse, punishing — students with moral objections to mainstreaming sexual confusion.

As our friends at Liberty Counsel pointed out in a letter to the board, “The inclusion of ‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender identity’ in other school districts has led to a chilling effect upon students expressing a religious or moral viewpoint on the subject of sexuality. Instances of students and teachers being subjected to punishment or retaliation for voicing their beliefs to others, in person, or online, in social media, are readily available. Some school districts have even required other students (or teachers) to address gender-confused students or employees by incorrect names, and inaccurate pronouns, regardless of the First Amendment implications for appropriate use of language.”

One by one, parents and local church leaders ticked off reasons why the policy was a dangerous precedent. “The problem is, as these policies [are] adopted, it’s a slippery slope,” Jason Schack told the board. And, as he made quite clear, it’s a slippery slope fewer parents will tolerate. “I just hope your school board is prepared for a mass exodus.” Others, like Bradford Cole, said that what families want isn’t more ways to stifle faith — but more ways for kids to express it. “The majority is speaking tonight… We are saying we want God’s word in our public schools… We want godly principles in our public schools. We want Jesus Christ back in our schools.”

That’s when LGBT activist Scott Wall-DeSousa had enough. “I believe everyone has a right to be heard,” he claimed. “Unfortunately, what’s happening tonight [shows] why this policy is needed.” Of course, if he really wanted people to be heard, he wouldn’t be advocating a measure that bullies conservative kids into silence. In the end, Wall-DeSousa and others weren’t just outnumbered by the parents, but by the board too. To the cheers of the room, Brevard voted unanimously to kill the proposal.

It was an important moment — not just for this Florida community, but to everyone who’s tempted to get overwhelmed and discouraged by the national trends fostered by President Obama’s radical social policy. The Left (aided by the media) wants Christians to think that they’re powerless in the face of these radical agendas. But the problem isn’t that we’re powerless — it’s that we’re actionless. Sometimes, winning is as easy as showing up and speaking up. If you don’t know what to say, FRC can help! Check out these publications on “sexual orientation, gender identity” measures, the transgender movement, and homosexuality in your child’s school!

Originally published here.

Super-Sizing Super Tuesday

The general election isn’t for another 252 days, but what happens tomorrow could be just as important. Campaigns have circled Super Tuesday on their calendars for months, knowing that the whirlwind of state primary voting could make or break their candidate’s chances for the nomination. With about a quarter of the delegates on the line, more than on any other single day, tomorrow’s primaries hold particular significance for the final Republican and Democratic tickets.

Based on what we’ve seen so far, experts predict a huge turnout in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Wyoming, and even American Samoa. Although Super Tuesday will likely further whittle down the GOP field, March 15 kicks off the much-coveted “winner-take-all” primaries in places like Ohio and Florida. People’s perspectives heading into mid-March, though, will almost certainly be shaped by what happens in the mainly southern states March 1.

To read the media’s account leading up to Super Tuesday, you’d think the victors had already been declared. But if the first few primaries are any indication, nothing is certain in this race except voters’ determination to be heard. In the next few weeks, a lot depends on you. As Christians, we have a responsibility to pray and act with knowledge. That means digging deeper to find out what the candidates stand for. As Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, counseled him in Exodus 18, our focus should be finding capable, trustworthy leaders “who fear God.” The best way to know which ones do is to read where the candidates stand on a host of non-negotiable issues — including one that should be at the top of every Christian’s list: religious liberty.

Twenty sixteen is a religious liberty election, Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has said since last summer. And he’s certainly done his part to raise the profile of our First Freedom — not just in his campaign, but in the race as a whole. To that end, Ted announced today the creation of a 19-member Religious Liberty Advisory Council, which I’m privileged to chair. Never before has religious freedom been more endangered than it is today under the policies of the current administration. As I have repeatedly said, I will do everything possible to elevate the issue of religious liberty and educate the candidates and the public on what we must do to protect this essential freedom.

Originally published here.

Zika Plagues Abortion Debate

Pregnancy isn’t a disease — but it has certainly been treated like one since the outbreak of the Zika virus. With very real fears circulating about the birth defects that can result in infected moms, some of the world’s abortion advocates have seized the moment to more forcefully push their global abortion agenda as the solution to babies with possible disabilities. The debate has become a fierce one in places like Brazil, which have much stronger pro-life policies than America. Like other countries in South America, abortion is only allowed in the rarest of cases in Brazil — which also happens to have some of the highest concentrated number of Zika cases.

Now, as radical groups beat the drum for overturning those laws, the United Nations seems to be aligning itself with the abortion lobbyists, insisting in a statement from the U.N. Commission of Human Rights that “laws and policies that restrict access to sexual and reproductive health services in contravention of international standards must be repealed…” That caught dozens of members of the U.S. House by surprise, who feel, as we do, that the Zika virus shouldn’t be used as an excuse to bully pro-life nations into overturning their policies. To express their shock and disappointment, more than 50 members signed a letter to the U.N. High Commissioner demanding an explanation for the body’s statement.

“We believe the Zika virus should be a time for thoughtful deliberation as local and national governments determined the best policies to curb the spread of the disease. It should not be an occasion to exploit a genuine public health crisis to advance a political agenda to overturn laws of many nations protective of life at all stages of development… In this context, we are concerned that the U.N. High Commission on Human Rights appears to be taking a similarly opportunistic and pro-abortion approach to the Zika outbreak. Any such action is gravely inappropriate. We urge you to immediately clarify your statements to make clear that you and the U.N. High Commission on Human Rights are not calling for changes to laws protecting the human rights of unborn children, and particularly unborn children with disabilities in countries affected by the Zika virus.”

Our hats go off to these members for calling the U.N. on their not-so-subtle message for the international community. Abortion isn’t the cure — not for Zika, not for unplanned pregnancy, not for anything. As too many women will tell you, taking the life of a child doesn’t solve anything. It only makes a bad situation worse. And while no one is minimizing the dangers of the virus, we shouldn’t minimize the consequences of abortion either.

Originally published here.