U.S. Supreme Court Redefines “Sex” In Ruling That Threatens Foundational Freedoms

This week, in a 6-3 decision that was a blatant act of judicial overreach, the U.S. Supreme Court radically redefined “sex” to include “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” (SOGI) in Title VII employment law of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Court simply stole the powers of the legislative branch, despite the fact that LGBTQ advocates have repeatedly failed to get Congress or the Texas Legislature to add SOGI protections into law. The Court consolidated three cases in the decision, including Bostock v. Clayton County Georgia, Altitude Express, Inc., et al. v. Zarda et al., and R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Texas Values joined a legal amicus brief in the Harris case, supporting the family-operated funeral home. The funeral home was sued by a male employee who began dressing and presenting as a woman.

The Court’s ruling will lead to chaos with devastating consequences for our nation and state. Ignoring the biological reality of sex in our law threatens to further trample our foundational freedoms of religion, conscience, and speech. This will include healthcare – forcing employers to pay for sex change operations, issues of free speech – punishing people for the use of the wrong pronoun, a loss for women in sports, and jeopardizing longstanding religious liberty protections for churches and religious nonprofits. We have repeatedly warned of the dangers of SOGI laws and worked to defeat them in Texas, which is why our legal team got directly involved in this Supreme Court case. Elected officials must respond and correct this political power grab by the unelected judiciary immediately.

Democrats Urge Congress To Further Trample Religious Freedom With “Equality” Act

After the U.S. Supreme Court’s egregious ruling that redefined “sex” to include "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" (SOGI), Democrats in the U.S. Senate have renewed pressure on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) to take up the radical, anti-religious freedom bill, H.R. 5, known by LGBTQ activists as the “Equality Act.” Yesterday, three U.S. Senators, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), and Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), blocked the Equality Act from garnering unanimous consent and advancing for a floor vote.

The Equality Act, which would give special privileges to people who identify as LGBTQ, would go even further than the Supreme Court’s decision. It would threaten women’s privacy, create a loss for women in sports, outlaw the religious freedom protections for Christian adoption agencies in the Texas Freedom to Serve Children Act, force homeless shelters to allow men to sleep and shower next to women, and could penalize people of faith and faith-based employers. This is an important time for Texans to stand for religious freedom by contacting our federal elected officials in opposition to this radical legislation.

This Sunday is Father’s Day. It is important to encourage dads to know their value and what they mean to their family. It is by God’s design that every child longs to be loved and truly known by their father. So please take the time to let your father know that you are grateful for him this weekend. Happy Father’s Day from the Texas Values team!