LGBT

Most Americans Support Children’s Right to a Mother and Father, New Poll Finds

Eleven years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court radically redefined marriage to include the union of same-sex couples in Obergefell v. Hodges.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, author of the Court’s decision, claimed the Constitution’s promise of “liberty” required allowing two people of the same sex to “marry” “on the same terms and conditions as marriages between persons of the opposite sex” because marriage “embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family.”

In affirming this “right,” Justice Kennedy made a fatal error: He prioritized the rights and desires of adults over the natural rights and desires of children.

Children have the right to be known, raised, loved and nurtured by their natural mother and father. “Same-sex marriage” erases that right.

Because same-sex couples are in an inherently infertile relationship, they must acquire children (who will be biologically unrelated to at least one of them) by other means: adoption, IVF, sperm and egg donation, and surrogacy.

Justice Kennedy – intentionally or not – threw the door wide open for same-sex couples to acquire, purchase, create and adopt children through any means necessary, robbing them of their right to know and be loved by their own mother and father.

Thankfully, many Americans are beginning to wake up to this reality.

According to a new national survey, conservative and moderate likely general election voters express broad agreement on children’s rights: 82% believe no child should be deliberately denied a mother or a father.

“For years, the left has portrayed the belief that children deserve both their mother and father as a fringe view,” said Katy Faust, founder and president of Them Before Us, in a press release. “This poll proves otherwise.”

Faust added,

Among conservative and moderate voters, there is overwhelming agreement that children have a right to both parents whenever possible.
At a time when the political right is often described as divided, this issue stands out as one of remarkable unity.

The poll also found that of surveyed conservative and moderate voters:

  • 96% say it is important for a child to be raised with both an involved mother and an involved father.
  • 78% agree that when a child’s needs conflict with an adult’s desires, the child’s needs should come first.
  • 66% reject the claim that being raised by same-sex parents is no different for a child than being raised by an adoptive mother and father.
  • 63% agree that children are harmed when they lose their mother or father to be raised in a same-sex household.

Them Before Us has begun the Greater Than Campaign, a national coalition working to reclaim marriage on behalf of children.

Many “parents, faith leaders, scholars, lawyers, and advocacy organizations” have joined the campaign, including Focus on the Family, Family Research Council, the Colson Center, the American Family Association, Allie Beth Stuckey, Josh Hammer, Michael Knowles and more.

“The conviction that children should come before adult desires remains a defining value shared across the conservative movement,” Faust said.

Eleven years after Obergefell, the ruling’s dire consequences for children are becoming increasingly clear. That’s why support for same-sex marriage and same-sex relationships has been declining among all U.S. adults and particularly among conservatives.

We must all continue to speak the truth in love as we have opportunity, teaching our fellow Americans that children’s right to their mother and father is greater than the right of same-sex couples to obtain them.

The fight to protect children’s rights is just beginning. Learn more about the Greater Than Campaign.

Related articles and resources:

Defending the Rights of Children

Children’s Rights Should Always Come Before Adults’ Desires

Supreme Court Declines Petition Challenging ‘Same-Sex Marriage’ Ruling

It’s Good the Left Fears the Overturning of Gay ‘Marriage’

Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage Harms Children and Society

Why Focus on the Family Believes Obergefell Must Be Struck Down

Support for Same-Sex Marriage and Relationships Declines Among Conservatives

Photo from Shutterstock.

Oregon Withdraws $90K Fine Against Christian Counselor

Christian counselor Frank Canepa has won a legal battle after being fined nearly $90,000 for refusing to affirm a client’s same-sex relationship.

Canepa is a licensed professional counselor who helps his clients achieve their stated goals. As a Roman Catholic, he provides counseling consistent with his religious beliefs.

For over two and a half years, Canepa counseled a client on a weekly basis at an “extremely reduced” rate, including multiple pro bono sessions.

Over the course of their counseling sessions, the client brought up the topic of same-sex relationships at least 44 times. Canepa never disclosed his personal views on such relationships during those sessions because he sought to “honor her personal life choices and direction in her own life.”

However, on July 10, 2023, the client again brought up the topic of same-sex relationships and demanded for 20 minutes that Canepa personally bless her same-sex relationship.

At this point, Canepa felt the need to disclose his view in the interest of truth and authenticity. Because of his Catholic faith, Canepa “told her [he] was unable to provide” the “level of personal affirmation for same-sex relationships” she desired “because of [his] Catholic faith.”

Following the session, the client filed a complaint against Canepa with the Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists. The Board decided to punish Canepa by fining him $89,636, and ordering him to undergo continuing education, for allegedly violating Oregon law and the American Counseling Association’s (ACA) Code of Ethics.

The Board said Canepa violated ACA Code Rule A.4.b, which requires counselors to “avoid imposing … their own values … especially when the counselor’s values are … discriminatory in nature.”

But Canepa was not discriminating against anyone. He was simply exercising his First Amendment right to speak freely and share his personal view after his client asked him to do so.

The Board imposed the punishment on August 5, 2025, after which Canepa appealed the decision to the Oregon Court of Appeals. He is represented by attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF).

On June 5, 2026, the Board thankfully withdrew its disciplinary action against Canepa without explanation.

“The government can’t target counselors for their views and force people to say things that go against their core convictions,” said ADF Senior Counsel and Vice President of Litigation Strategy Jonathan Scruggs.

What caused the Board to reconsider its judgement between August 2025 and June 2026?

On March 31, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court issued Chiles v. Salazar – a landmark opinion protecting the right of Christian counselors to speak freely in conversations with clients.

The Oregon Board cited Chiles in its decision to withdraw the judgement against Canepa.

“The Supreme Court recently took Colorado to task for censoring counselors and mandating orthodoxy in the counselor’s office, and Oregon should take notice,” Scruggs continued. “ADF will continue to ensure that free speech is protected in Oregon — and every state where it’s threatened — and halt states’ attempts to weaponize their licensure systems.”

This case demonstrates how important it is for Christians to be courageous and stand by their convictions in our culture today.

Had Kaley Chiles, the Christian counselor at the center of the Chiles case, decided not to defend her First Amendment right to free speech all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, Canepa would likely still be defending his constitutional rights before the Oregon Court of Appeals.

Thanks to the precedent set by Chiles, Canepa is again free to practice counseling in accordance with his faith.

The case is Canepa v. Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists.

Related articles and resources:

Austin Fire Chaplain Wins Settlement After Being Fired for Defending Biological Reality

Teacher Wins $650,000 After Being Fired for Refusing to Use ‘Trans’ Pronouns

Oregon School District Pays $650,000 for Firing Teachers Opposed to ‘Trans’ Policy

Supreme Court Smacks Down Colorado’s ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban in 8-1 Decision

The Supreme Court’s ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ruling: Four Truths You Should Know

Court Awards $885,000 in Attorney Fees After Counseling Censorship Victory

Photo from Shutterstock.

Court Blocks California ‘Gender Secrecy Law’ and Affirms Parental Rights

California parents scored a big victory as a court blocked a law that kept school districts from reporting a child’s “sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression” to parents. 

America First Legal announced the decision on behalf of the City of Huntington Beach and parents, saying: 

[T]he U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit entered a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of key provisions of California’s AB 1955 – a law that prohibits schools from disclosing information to parents about a child’s sexual orientation, “gender identity,” or gender expression, unless the child consents.
In other words, the State of California sought to prevent parents from obtaining information about “gender transitions” of their own children without the child’s consent.

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1955, the dishonestly named “SAFETY Act” (Support Academic Futures and Educators for Today’s Youth Act), in July 2024, as California Family Council (CFC) reported: 

This legislation, passed by the California Legislature and now signed into law, allows schools to withhold critical information from parents about their children’s health and welfare. The bill specifically prohibits school districts from enacting policies requiring parents to be notified if their child has asked everyone at school to use a different name and pronoun.

AB 1955 was predicated on the idea that children “have a constitutional right to privacy” that forbade schools from requiring employees “to disclose any information related to a pupil’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to any other person without the pupil’s consent.” 

Instead of affirming parents’ right to direct the upbringing of their children, the bill created a “government-imposed wall of secrecy between parents and their children,” CFC stated.  

Shortly after Governor Newsom signed the “gender secrecy law,” the Huntington Beach City Council voted to prohibit school employees from hiding information about students from their parents. The council passed an ordinance declaring Huntington Beach a “Parents’ Right to Know City.”

The ordinance led to the legal challenge against California, with America First Legal and SchaerrJaffee LLP filing a lawsuit in September 2024. 

The Ninth Circuit twice denied motions for preliminary injunctions against the law, but in light of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Mirabelli v. Bonta, which reasserted parents’ rights over any school’s “transgender” parent exclusion policies, the city and parents asked the Ninth Circuit to reconsider. 

The three-judge panel said the Mirabelli decision “affirmed the substantive due process right of parents ‘to direct the upbringing and education of their children’” which “includes the right not to be shut out of participation in decisions regarding their children’s mental health” (their emphasis). 

When dealing with serious mental health issues related to children’s identity and sexuality, the Ninth Circuit panel explained: 

As framed by the Court, the plaintiff parents thus have an affirmative constitutional right to be provided with any such information.

CFC Vice President Greg Burt applauded the decision, saying: 

For years, Sacramento told parents they had no right to know when their own child was living as a different sex at school. We said that was wrong and that it violated the Constitution. The Ninth Circuit now agrees.
AB 1955 was built to keep moms and dads in the dark. This ruling pulls back the curtain. No parent should have to learn from a stranger what the school already knew about their child.

American First Legal said this is their second appeals court-level win following Mirabelli. The nonprofit law firm pointed to a case in Pennsylvania where the Pine Richland School District secretly provided “taxpayer-funded ‘gender transition teams’ to students without parental notification or consent.” 

A mom sued, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, again citing Mirabelli, said she could pursue a damage case against the school district. 

The California case is City of Huntington Beach v. Newsom. 

The Pennsylvania case is Doe v. Pine Richland School District.

Related articles and resources: 

Barrett v. Kagan: Key Takeaways From Supreme Court Ruling on ‘Transgender’ School Policies

BREAKING: Judge Issues Preliminary Injunction Says California School District Cannot Force Teachers to Lie to Parents About Their Children’s ‘Gender Identity’

California Family Council

California Teachers Told to Hide Information About Students’ ‘Gender’ From Parents – They’re Suing

California Schools May Not Hide Students’ ‘Gender Identity’ From Parents

‘Equipping Parents For Back-To-School’ – Updated Resource Empowers Parents

Supreme Court Affirms Parents’ Rights Over California’s ‘Transgender’ School Policies

Supreme Court Defends Religious Freedom, Parental Rights Over ‘LGBT’ Curriculum

Rep. Hageman Introduces Resolution Demanding Transparency in TV Show Ratings

Parents overwhelmingly want America’s television content ratings system to be overhauled and updated for the 21st century. Congresswoman Harriet Hageman, R-WY, is trying to make that happen.

Rep. Hageman introduced a resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives calling on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to better disclose sensitive TV content so American parents can make more informed decisions about entertainment for their children.

The resolution demands the FCC “develop a ratings framework with neutral, objective, and specific content descriptions across all video platforms, promote greater transparency in how ratings are assigned and challenged, and ensure any ratings oversight body includes meaningful representation from parents and child advocacy organizations.”

“Parents have the right to decide what their children watch, and the current ratings system is robbing them of that right,” Rep. Hageman said in a statement.

Congress passed the Telecommunications Act in 1996 requiring parents be provided with information about children’s entertainment content ahead of time so they can protect their kids from violent, sexual or other harmful programming.

To comply with the legislation, entertainment industry representatives established the TV Oversight Management Board (TVOMB) and developed the TV Parental Guidelines age ratings system which is still in use today.

The system provides ratings for programs that are appropriate for all children (TV-Y); appropriate for children age seven and above (TV-Y7); suitable, but not specifically designed for, children (TV-G); and those that contain more mature content: TV-PG, TV-14 and TV-MA.

The TV Parental Guidelines also contain descriptors informing parents of sexually suggested dialogue (D); fantasy violence (FV); coarse or crude language (L); sexual situations (S); and violence (V).

This rating system was perhaps adequate in the 1999s, when constant LGBT propaganda in children’s entertainment wasn’t a fact of life. Unfortunately, that’s no longer the case.

According to recent research, the ratings system fails to adequately account for sensitive content today.

Concerned Women for America’s (CWA) report, “LGBTQ Messaging Pervasive In Netflix Children’s Programming,” found that “41% of G-rated series, and 41% of TV-Y7-rated series on Netflix contain LGBTQ+ content.”

The organization also released a new poll revealing most parents (87%) said it’s either “very important” or “somewhat important” for TV content ratings to advise them of violence, sexual assault or other sensitive topics like LGBT messaging.

“Parents should be able to make informed viewing decisions for their children,” said Penny Nance, CEO and president of CWA, “but currently, parents have no way of knowing whether LGBTQ+ content is in that program.”

Furthermore, outsourcing oversight of the ratings system to the TVOMB is like asking the fox to guard the henhouse. The organization, which is responsible for ensuring media companies follow the industry’s ratings standards, is largely made up of media companies and trade groups financed by media corporations.

Nearly 80% of respondents to CWA’s poll said they support reforming the TVOMB to include more independent experts, parent groups and child-advocacy organizations.

Rep. Hageman’s resolution aims to shine a spotlight on parent’s desire for reform.

“Streaming platforms are pushing ideology into children’s programming, and Washington has looked the other way for too long,” Rep. Hageman said. “This resolution puts the FCC on notice that transparency is not optional.”

Multiple conservative organizations are supporting the resolution including Concerned Women for America, Family Policy Alliance, Wyoming Family Alliance, American Principles Project, Moms for Liberty, Heritage Action and Family Research Council.

“For too long, ratings systems have failed to give parents accurate and consistent information about what their children are watching,” said Craig DeRoche, president and CEO of Family Policy Alliance. “This resolution is a long-overdue step toward the transparency families need to make informed decisions.”

In a public notice issued April 22, the FCC opened a public comment period asking parents if they found TV-age ratings useful; whether they believe ratings are consistent across TV shows and programming; and whether they know children’s TV shows may contain information promoting gender ideology.

The FCC also asked parents for comment on whether the TVOMB should create a new warning label for content with “transgender and gender non-binary programming” and when “gender identity themes are discussed or displayed.”

Over 40 far-left groups including the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Advocates for Trans Equality, GLAAD and PFLAG National filed a public comment opposing the FCC’s consideration of added content warnings for LGBT characters and stories.

These groups want to keep parents in the dark while their children are fed pro-LGBT content by the entertainment industry.

The FCC could soon act to help parents make more informed decisions about their children’s entertainment content. Until it does, Rep. Hageman’s resolution intends to nudge the agency in the right direction.

Related articles and resources:

Plugged In

Parenting Tips for Guiding Your Kids in the Digital Age

Feds Ask Parents: ‘Did You Know Gender Ideology Can Be Promoted in Kids TV Shows?’

Photo from Getty Images.

Governor Ron DeSantis Declares June ‘Faith and Family Month’

The tidal wave of “Pride Month” has left Florida high and dry thanks to Governor Ron DeSantis signing a proclamation declaring June “Faith and Family Month” in the Sunshine State.

The proclamation, which the governor signed on June 8, emphasizes the importance of faith, family and fatherhood as essential elements to a thriving society.

“Faith is a foundational element that provides strength, hope, and moral guidance, shaping values of compassion, service, responsibility, and unity within our communities,” the proclamation states, highlighting the Christian faith as vital in “constructing our Constitution, laws, and ideals.”

It also supports the “Biblical family unit [as] the initial God-ordained earthly institution providing the model for a thriving society” and upholds fathers as playing an “influential and irreplaceable role within families.”

The proclamation calls on churches, faith-based organizations, businesses and community partners to launch initiatives in June to “educate, inform, and strengthen relationships among husbands and wives, parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren.”

Florida Commissioner of Education Anastasios Kamoutsas lauded the proclamation on X quoting Joshua 24:15: “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve … as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

Kamoutsas wrote, “Thank you, @GovRonDeSantis, for proclaiming June as Faith and Family month, recognizing the vital role faith and family play in the lives of Floridians and in the strength of our state.”

Gov. DeSantis’ proclamation makes Florida the sixth state to celebrate the natural family in June.

Tennessee and Indiana governors declared June “Nuclear Family Month”; Alabama’s governor designated June “Strong Families Month”; and the governors of Arkansas and Utah declared June “Fidelity Month.”

Additionally, Rep. Mary Miller, R-IL, introduced a resolution last week in the U.S. House of Representatives to declare June “Family Month” in place of “Pride Month.” In an exclusive interview with Daily Citizen, she expressed optimism the resolution will pass the House.

“The breakdown of the family has caused inestimable damage to our country,” Rep. Miller told us. “We need to get back to our biblical Christian roots. We need to support intact families – a husband and wife committed to each other.”

Thanks to Gov. DeSantis’ bold and courageous leadership, our nation’s third most populous state is doing exactly that, redeeming June in honor of the nuclear family. Let’s hope, pray and advocate for more states to soon follow suit.

To speak with a family help specialist or request resources, please call us at 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459).

Related articles and resources:

Defending the Rights of Children

How To Talk To Your Children About Homosexuality

When A Loved One Says “I’m Gay”

How to Talk to Your Children About ‘Transgenderism’

Some Companies Back Away From LGBT Pride – Parents Should Still Be Watchful

Five Things for Christians to Remember During ‘LGBT Pride Month’

Navigating ‘LGBT Pride Month’ – How Should Parents Respond?

Rep. Miller Introduces Resolution Declaring June ‘Family Month’ Instead of ‘Pride Month’

Gov. Bill Lee Signs Resolution Declaring June ‘Nuclear Family Month’ in Tennessee

Photo from the Office of Governor Ron DeSantis.