Dear Friends,
Great news for girls’ sports!
Yesterday, the Governor of Mississippi signed into law the commonsense rule that to play in girls’ sports you have to be a female. Every girl should have the opportunity to compete on a level playing field, and in today’s world that means one that is reserved just for girls.
At Family Policy Alliance, we are thrilled to see Mississippi become the second state to successfully sign this legislation into law, after you helped us make Idaho the first state to accomplish that last year!
And, here’s the really great news: more than half of the states are engaged in similar efforts to save girls’ sports!
This is not only important for female athletes in those states, but it’s important nationally, because it pushes back against the radical agenda that President Biden and Democrat leadership are trying to force on Americans. Mississippi, and the states in line behind them, prove how far out of touch President Biden and Democrat leadership are from American families.
Earlier this week, President Biden signed an Executive Order redefining Title IX’s use of “sex” to include “sexual orientation and gender identity.” Title IX is the law that prohibits sex discrimination in education, including in sports – and it has played a significant role in giving women equal access to athletic opportunities. When enforced, the President’s Executive Order will almost certainly require schools to let males compete – and win – in female athletic competitions.
Even worse, the federal Equality Act, which recently passed the U.S. House and will soon go before the Senate, would make that rule law for years to come. That’s why we must stop the Equality Act – and keep supporting good laws like the one in Mississippi!
You can help make it happen. Here are two steps you can take now to stand up for female athletes:
- Contact your Senators and ask them to oppose the Equality Act. It only takes a minute in our Action Center!
- Sign and share our petition to Save Girls’ Sports. If you’ve already signed, consider sharing the petition on social media using the hashtag #SaveGirlsSports.
The Senate should reject the Equality Act because Americans won’t stand for it – a fact Mississippi reminded us of today. Americans want fair and equal opportunity for female athletes, not the destruction of girls’ sports. Across the country, Americans are rallying around protecting girls’ sports – and we couldn’t agree more.
Sincerely,
Meridian Baldacci
Policy and Communications Strategist
From playgrounds to wedding cakes to something called the “Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act,” religious freedom has been winning lately in the courts.
Stuart Shepard asks Ashley Shaw, Family Policy Alliance’s new legal expert, to explain the nuances of these court actions and how they impact Christians across America.
U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves says Mississippi’s religious freedom act is unconstitutional. Christians must give up some of their freedoms to accommodate others.
Bruce Hausknecht of Focus on the Family tells us that will have a negative impact on our First Amendment rights as Christians.
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant signed HB 1523, the Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act. The law means that the state cannot violate the conscience of business owners or individuals because of their views on marriage.
Our friends at Alliance Defending Freedom wrote model legislation for the bill. Kellie Fiedorek, an attorney with ADF, said people know the value of religious freedom.
“The people of Mississippi, from every demographic, support this commonsense ‘Live and Let Live’ bill, which simply affirms the freedom of all people to peacefully live and work according to their deeply held beliefs without threat of punishment from their own government,” she explained. “We commend the governor for signing into law protections for schools, churches, businesses and public employees, so they won’t face such discrimination. What makes America unique is our freedom to peacefully live out those beliefs, and the Constitution protects that freedom.”