True North Legal Director of Litigation Doug Wardlow explained: “The proposed standards will require public schools to teach a radical ideology that contradicts the religious values of thousands of Minnesota families. What’s more, the standards will make conformity to that radical ideology a prerequisite for academic success, violating the constitutionally protected right of parents to direct the religious upbringing of their children.”
For parents who lack the resources to enroll their children in private schools or homeschool instead, what options do they have? Sounds like captivity to me.
If that were not enough, the state also wants to inject this ideology into private spaces as well. In Minnesota it is unlawful for licensed counselors to help children and adolescents struggling with same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria when they desire to reconcile their hearts and minds with biological reality. Counselors – even Christian ones – can only provide “acceptance” and “support” for these kids.
The state is denying children access to the very help they need after they’ve been confronted with the gender ideology that the state is forcing on them.
Your deeply-held religious beliefs on these topics are banned in the counseling office – in a private conversation between a client and a mental health professional, which is a clear violation of the First Amendment’s protections for both free speech and religious liberty. File this one under both “control” and “censorship.”
Our third case study concerns the Minnesota Department of Corrections, which terminated a program offered to inmates on a strictly voluntary basis called the “Quest for Authentic Manhood” because it conflicted with “the diversity, equity and inclusivity values of the department by defining manhood, or the study of masculinity, through a biblical lens of what a ‘real man looks like.’”
It is alarming that the department specifically called out the biblical values as unwelcome. This is very clear and straight-forward viewpoint discrimination that violates the constitution – and targets people like you and me.
In response, True North Legal and Upper Midwest Law Center joined forces to file a lawsuit against the state on behalf of Anthony Schmitt, the Christian volunteer who facilitated it.
One court ruled against Mr. Schmitt, but we appealed that decision, and this summer an appeals court reversed that lower court’s decision and ordered them to grant a preliminary injunction to reinstate the program.
This is a win not only for Mr. Schmitt but also for all the inmates who have benefitted (and will benefit) from a program that has a proven track record of helping men change for the better.
True North Legal is also engaged in the fight to protect the sanctity of the counseling office. The fate of a law in Colorado like the one we have in Minnesota is currently being debated in the United States Supreme Court.
Chiles vs. Salazar was heard on October 7th and a decision is expected sometime next year. True North Legal filed an amicus brief prior to the hearing, urging the Court to reverse the Tenth Circuit’s decision upholding Colorado’s counseling restriction. Renee Carlson and many of our allies were in the courtroom last week and will continue to track the case as we await a ruling and then consider next steps.
Finally, returning to the so-called health education standards, the time to speak up against them is now, as the Minnesota Department of Education may seek to implement the benchmarks as soon as next fall. We have already been meeting with concerned Minnesota parents and stand ready to advocate for children and families who could be harmed by these standards, including, if it comes to it, challenging them in court.
We must do all we can – publicly and privately – to prevent and undermine these assaults on our children and our most basic liberties. But to reach optimal effectiveness in this work, we must be adequately resourced.
Frankly, that is sometimes very challenging. True North Legal is doing amazing work, but it’s work that takes time and is sometimes done behind closed doors. At times, we can’t talk publicly about it because it could compromise the strategy– the same way it would if a coach showed their playbook to the opposing team.
So I just have to ask you to trust me, Renee, Doug and the team we are building – that this is work worth supporting for crucial battles such as those I’ve outlined above. I hope that telling you these stories has lit a fire in you, and that you’ll respond by making a gift of $50, $100, $200, or even more, as the Lord leads, to True North Legal, so that we’ll be fully equipped for the fights yet to come.
