HUGE WIN! You did it!
November 04, 2015 | | Share with Friends

Dear XXXX,

We couldn’t have done it without you! Last night, residents of Houston, Texas celebrated a decisive victory for religious freedom that was over a year in the making—thanks to the prayer and financial support of friends like you.

Brief recap:

Last year, Houston’s City Council tried to push through a radical new ordinance that would give special privileges and special rights to people based upon their sexual behavior. This harmful ordinance would have allowed a man to enter women’s restrooms and other private areas if he identifies as a woman. It also would have forced employers and private business owners to violate their religious and moral convictions regarding homosexual and transgender behavior and fined you a maximum of $5,000 if you chose to not violate your faith!

When pastors and concerned citizens in the city began to rally together to give citizens the right to vote on this dangerous “Bathroom Bill,” Mayor Annise Parker shockingly subpoenaed the sermons and other private communications of five local pastors who dared to speak out against her agenda.

But the “Houston Five” would not back down, and FRC, FRC Action, and the Faith Family Freedom Fund actively stood with them over the past year.

– November, 2014 – FRC organized I Stand Sunday, a power-packed simulcast to support the targeted pastors. Over 7,000 people packed the pews of Grace Community Church in Houston, while over 3,300 churches and home groups joined in from all 50 states to stand for religious liberty. With the public backlash, the mayor finally relented on the subpoenas.

– FRC Action continued the momentum by educating Houston voters on the threat this Bathroom Bill posed to religious liberty. Through FRC’s STAND Summit this past March and the recentWatchmen Summit in August, we gathered pastors and ministry leaders together to collaborate and develop strategies to impact their home communities. FRC Action also conducted a Candidate Training forum after the August Watchmen Summit to equip conservative believers to consider a run for elected office.

– In the final weeks leading up to yesterday’s critical vote, FRC Action produced targeted alerts and analysis of the Bathroom Bill, while the Faith Family Freedom Fund’s new ad informed over 300,000 Houston voters of the truth that this ordinance would give local government the power to punish people because of their beliefs.

When the ballots were tallied on Election Day, the Bathroom Bill was defeated overwhelming by 61% of the voters.

Thank you! It’s good to celebrate…

Unfortunately, this isn’t just about a single ordinance. These ongoing threats to religious liberty are being realized in virtually every community in America!

– State Level
As a result of the Supreme Court’s redefinition of marriage earlier this year, LGBT activists across the country have been emboldened to push the envelope even further. For example, just last week a group in Michigan announced plans to put a measure similar to Houston’s ordinance on the statewide ballot in 2016.

– City Council’s and School Boards
Some on the Left have been pushing this in City Councils across the country. If that’s not bad enough, they are also forcing these policies on students and passing them in School Boards. Just one example of this is Fairfax County, Virginia. Ignoring the vocal concerns of hundreds of parents, the School Board added a broad “gender identity” policy that allowed students of any age who identify as transgender to choose whether to use the boys’ or girls’ restrooms and locker rooms and which sex’s sports teams to play on.

– Deceptively-Named “Equality Act”
The Left has mounted a new assault on your rights and freedoms in Congress. Now they’ve unveiled a bill that not only strips you of your rights regarding employment, but strips you of your rights in 25 areas of U.S. law . . . areas of life! These include: credit, education, federal funding, public facilities and accommodations, and federally funded programs, to name a few.

Would you consider making a celebration donation today? Your gift will enable FRC Action to:

– Elect principled conservative candidates who will stand up for our values;

– Urge Congress and work with our allies on the Hill to stand against this radical agenda;

– Provide word-by-word expert analysis of bills, riders, and other legislative maneuvers and ferret out any and every attempt by the administration to subvert the God-designed gender roles;

– Work at the state and local level to identify threats and equip both elected leaders and voters with the knowledge and resources to stand.

Your continued giving at this time will help FRC Action stand strong, and build on the momentum to engage and defeat these ongoing threats. If this could happen in Houston, Texas, it can happen anywhere in America.

Thank you in advance for your continuing support of FRC Action.

Standing,

Tony Perkins
President

FRC Action is a tax-exempt corporation under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. Financial contributions to FRC Action are not tax-deductible.