One of the recurring marketing schemes of the LGBT agenda involves pro sports teams wearing “pride” themed insignia or clothing at least once a year. And for Christians who earn their living playing such sports, but won’t compromise their Christian witness, “pride night” at the ballpark or stadium can result in tough choices and career fallout.

Just ask Jaelene Daniels, a 29-year-old professional women’s soccer player with the North Carolina Courage of the National Women’s Soccer League. She was benched by her club for their July 29 match against the Washington Spirit for refusing to wear rainbow-themed pre-match and warmup tops in honor of “pride night.” Her team sent a mixed message about her decision.

“Jaelene will not be rostered tonight as she has made the decision to not wear our Pride jersey,” a Courage spokeswoman said in a statement to media before the game, as reported by ESPN. “While we’re disappointed with her choice, we respect her right to make that decision for herself.

“We’re excited to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community with our fans, players and staff tonight and look forward to hosting our first ever Pride Festival before kickoff.”

If the team really respected Daniel’s decision, they wouldn’t have benched her because of it.

This week Kansas became the first state in the nation to vote on abortion policy since the reversal of Roe v. Wade. Unfortunately, the abortion lobby was successful in spinning a narrative that convinced a majority of voters in Kansas to keep the judicially invented right to an abortion in the state constitution.

The amendment, which would have returned the authority of abortion policy-making to the state legislature, failed by a vote of 58% to 41%.

The election results should be a wake-up call for the pro-life movement. Yes, Roe has been overturned, but nothing is guaranteed when it comes to abortion policy, even in a typically pro-life state.

Abortion activists won because they controlled the narrative in Kansas in two very important ways.

1. The abortion lobby had more money. And in elections, money is power.
2. The abortion lobby falsely asserted that the amendment would ban abortions in the state of Kansas. And they got away with it.

The pro-life movement is much bigger than this one election outcome. And while we are discouraged by this election result, we will not lose hope. We will continue to fight the good fight for mothers and their babies because it’s the right thing to do. Because human life is always worth protecting.

Back in 1946, Frank Sinatra introduced a song entitled, “You Make Me Feel So Young.” The lyrics went: “You make me feel so young, you make me feel there are songs to be sung, bells to be rung and a wonderful fling to be flung. And even when I’m old and gray, I’m gonna feel the way I do today, ‘cause you make me feel so young.”

While Sinatra, a great artist, sadly did not live a life of marital fidelity, my memory still harkened back to those lyrics as I read a piece by Brad Wilcox of the Institute of Family Studies on how young married couples are more likely to have their marriages go the distance – to when they are old and gray – because they have had the joy of mutual love and commitment, without the emotional baggage of failed relationships trailing behind.

In so many ways, they end up experiencing more enjoyment and vitality in their marriages – and for a longer time – than their peers who are pursuing fun, instead of commitment, in their twenties. The spark of their love for each other, lit early, rarely goes out.

Of course, this defies the current “conventional wisdom” that young marriages are more likely to end in divorce, deny women the opportunity to establish a career, and do not allow men the opportunity to be free and independent before settling down to the responsibility of being a husband, and potentially a father.

Wilcox cites these early marriage naysayers and presents compelling evidence as to why these experts are wrong.