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Dear Friend,

Welcome to the Friday Five! Every Friday we share our top five articles, stories, and quotes for you to read and share with your friends and church families.

We would be very grateful if you could make a donation of $100, $50, $25, or $10 today towards our work producing these Friday Fives and fighting for your values on the public square!

1. NC VALUES: Governor Cooper vetoed 3 pro-values bills this week

On Wednesday, Governor Cooper dipped his pen in the veto ink again to defy the will of North Carolinians. And not once, but thrice.

Rather than side with women, children, families, and fairness, the Governor chose to veto the “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act,” “Parents Bill of Rights,” and “Gender Transition/Minors” bill.

Per the Port City Daily, “In opposition, the N.C. Values Coalition indicated the bills protected women’s and children’s rights, decrying Cooper’s move and urging the GA to override the measures. ‘Children are being indoctrinated in schools, girls are being denied a level playing field in sports, and minors are being chemically and surgically castrated to advance a dangerous LGBTQ agenda that the majority of the public does not support,’ . . . NC Values Executive Director Tami Fitzgerald said in a release.”

Senators spoke powerfully in response, stating:

Sens. Amy Galey (R-Alamance) and Michael Lee (R-New Hanover) on the veto of Senate Bill 49, the "Parents' Bill of Rights": "Parents know what is best for their children. Gov. Cooper continues to mislead the public about the Parents' Bill of Rights so he can drum up manufactured outrage and rake in donations. This bill encourages collaboration, promotes transparency, and keeps classrooms focused on educating, not indoctrinating. The Democrats and Gov. Cooper think the government can co-parent, but Republicans will always stand strong to defend parents and families."
Sen. Vickie Sawyer (R-Iredell) on the veto of House Bill 574, the "Fairness in Women's Sports Act": "There are inherent biological differences between men and women. We've already seen the impacts of allowing biological men to play against biological women in North Carolina and across the United States. International athletic governing bodies are beginning to put guardrails in place to ensure fair competition, and we need to do the same. Gov. Cooper has no interest in supporting female athletes, only his far-left donors that want to erase women by refusing to acknowledge biology."
Sen. Joyce Krawiec (R-Forsyth) on the veto of House Bill 808, "Gender Transition/Minors": "The open-door policy of allowing children to permanently change their gender is reckless, and rightfully questioned by the medical community. Several countries are now restricting gender-reassignment procedures for minors, citing long-term consequences and permanent risks. While Gov. Cooper has turned a blind eye to the protection of children, the legislature is taking the safest approach by limiting access to these life-altering medical procedures until a child comes of age."

For more on the story and our response, check out these stories in Port City Daily, WRAL, WXII, and the Carolina Journal.

2. CAROLINA JOURNAL: Parties in NC abortion lawsuit agree restraining order can last beyond two weeks

"Parties in the ongoing legal battle over North Carolina’s new abortion law have agreed that a temporary restraining order against one section of the law can last longer than two weeks.

U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles issued the order Friday. Eagles allowed most of the new law to take effect on July 1. But she placed a two-week TRO on a section dealing with a documentation requirement linked to use of abortion drugs."

3. FOX NEWS: The Supreme Court's three ringing blows for liberty

"Just before this Fourth of July weekend, the United States Supreme Court struck three ringing blows for American liberty. It upheld freedom of speech; it affirmed that the power of the purse belongs to Congress, not the president; and it forbade racial discrimination by the government."

In 303 Creative, "a Colorado website designer operated a business as a designer of customized websites to all customers – including LGBTQ persons. But she stated that she would not design websites that celebrated matters contrary to her Christian convictions – including (but not limited to) same-sex marriage. Gorsuch ruled that her creative activities constituted "pure speech" protected by the First Amendment. Colorado could not compel her, as a condition of practicing her business, to express beliefs and attitudes deeply antagonistic to her own. While acknowledging that the state could demand non-discriminatory access to the marketplace for gays and lesbians, Gorsuch concluded that the state could not go so far as to compel Americans to espouse opinions contrary to their own."

Check out our press response here, as well as the amicus brief filed by our sister organization (the Institute for Faith and Family). We filed a brief in the case because we believed it would have huge implications for Christian business owners in North Carolina and across the country. People of faith should be free to live and work according to their religious beliefs, without fear of punishment by the government, and this case ensures they are.

4. FOX NEWS: Supreme Court hands religious freedom win to postal worker who refused to work on Sunday

"The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled unanimously for a postal worker in Pennsylvania in an important religious liberty dispute, over how far employers should go to accommodate faith-based requests in the workplace.

Gerald Groff, a Christian mail carrier, from Pennsylvania, asked the court to decide whether the U.S. Postal Service could require him to deliver Amazon packages on Sundays, which he observes as the Sabbath. His attorney, Aaron Streett, argued in April that the court should revisit a 50-year-old precedent that established a test to determine when employers should make accommodations for their employees' religious practices.

In ruling for the government worker, the high court overturned its 1977 precedent that said employers had to 'reasonably accommodate' an employee's religious beliefs and practices, so long as that would not create an 'undue hardship' on the business.

The new decision tightens the ‘undue hardship’ standard, and could make it easier for some individual employees to secure a religious accommodation in the workplace.”

5. WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL: NC Republicans propose ban on drag performances

"Legislation sponsored by two Forsyth County House Republicans that addresses the legality of publicly performing in drag resurfaced Wednesday when it was amended into an N.C. Senate bill.

Most of the language from House Bill 673, titled 'Clarify Regulations for Adult Entertainment,' was inserted into Senate Bill 579, which retained language that increases the legal punishment for disseminating obscenities to minors and for sexual contact with a minor. SB579 was amended in Senate Judiciary II committee. The bill was recommended to the gatekeeper Senate Rules and Operations.

The language from HB673 would put male and female impersonators in the same adult live entertainment category as 'a performance featuring topless dancers, exotic dancers and strippers.'"

NC Values provided technical support and testimony on both bills. To learn more about SB579, and to take action in contacting your representatives and getting it fully passed, check out our easy and time-saving click-to-contact tool here.

Weekly Prayer: Life

LORD, we recognize that you are Sovereign over all creation. We recognize you made man from the dust, and in your mercy, you crowned creation with man and woman made in your image. What a wonder it is that you would bestow upon us this blessing and responsibility!

LORD, may we not take this blessing for granted. We pray that this great responsibility and dignity may motivate us to love You, our neighbors, and our families more. LORD, may we as a culture truly see and believe that children are a blessing from the LORD—born or unborn; able or disabled. All children should have an opportunity to experience the liberty of life. LORD, make us your vehicle to change our culture into one that cherishes and protects life. Keep at the forefront of our minds our responsibilities to respect, cherish, and serve the youngest and oldest in our society.

"At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, 'Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: 'Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.'" (Matthew 18:1-6)

Amen

Will you chip in $100, $50, $25, or even $10 to help the NC Values Coalition continue to fight for your rights? You can donate by clicking here.

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Sincerely,

Tami & Team
NC Values