Austin, Texas – Hundreds of Texans rallied today at the State Capitol for religious freedom, protection of innocent human life and family values along with elected officials and invited nationally recognized speakers (Lt. Col. Allen West and David Bereit).  Over 500 Texans registered to attend the 2019 Faith and Family Day which is held every Texas Legislative Session. Uniting like-minded Texans, Texas Values Action and Texas Values was joined by Concerned Women for America of Texas, Texas Eagle Forum, Texas Homeschool Coalition, Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, Texas Apostolic Prayer Network, Texas Pastors Council and the San Antonio Family Association.

Over the course of the day activists from across the state were educated on various issues affecting religious liberty, parental rights, and the pro-life movement. They were then free to discuss these issues with their elected members of the legislature before linking back up for a spirited rally on the south steps of the Capitol.

Jonathan Saenz, President of Texas Values said “It’s a common phrase around the Capitol that government belongs to those who show up. Today, Texans showed up and made their voice heard for faith, family, and freedom. Echoes of today will sound throughout the session.”

Jeff Younger, a father from the north Dallas area whose son is being forced to transition to a girl with his separated wife said at the rally. “Here’s what she’s asked the court to do: jail me if I say James is a boy, or present him as a boy to any of you. Jail me if refuse to attend transgender ideology education classes….jail me if I use male pronouns for my son or allow others to do so. She also asked the courts to jail me if I don’t pay for all this.”

Edie DeLorme, a cake baker in Longview, TX who was threatened because she politely declined to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding said: “Protecting the right of religious liberty is more than ensuring that a business owner is not forced to participate, validate, or promote something that violates their faith. It is about protecting the right for all of us- business owner, employee, and individual alike- to live according to our deeply held religious beliefs. As the mother of a Marine, our family wants people to know that we love our country, we want our freedom protected, and we want Texas to continue to protect our freedom to believe. 

Aaron and Melissa Klein, owners of “Sweet Cakes by Melissa,” who declined to design and create a custom cake to celebrate a same-sex marriage, only to have the State of Oregon punish them with a $135,000 penalty said “Owning our own business was such a blessing to our family. It was our own version of the American dream.  But when we tried to operate our business according to our faith, our dream became a nightmare.  We’ve lost nearly everything as a result of our state government punishing us for our beliefs.  Our case is just one example of why we need the strongest religious liberty protections at the state and federal level.”

Jack Philips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Colorado who famously won at the US Supreme Court and was then sued by the state again, said: “When I set out to build my dream of opening my own cake shop, combining my love for art and baking in a family business, I never imagined this chapter would be part of the Masterpiece Cakeshop story. The last six years have been long. But just last week, Colorado officials agreed to drop their most recent case against me because their ongoing hostility to my religious beliefs was clearly exposed—even documented in audio recording. I’m very grateful for this latest win and I hope that this is the end of my legal battles. I don’t want that to happen to anyone else.”

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About Texas Values Action

Texas Values Action is the advocacy and legislative action arm of Texas Values. Texas Values is the largest statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to standing for faith, family, and freedom in Texas. More information is available at txvaluesaction.org.