Free Republic

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed five new laws Wednesday to intensify penalties and strengthen enforcement against those who prey upon minors and participate in sex trafficking. According to the governor’s office, HB 1545 bars adults from “pattern(s) of communication” with minors involving “explicit and detailed verbal descriptions of sexual activity,” strengthens penalties for child porn possession, promoting underage sexual performances, and similar crimes, and making both categories of offenses third-degree felonies. HB 1131 creates an Online Sting Operations Grant Program within the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) that provides for annual funding of sting operations and the necessary...

Greece on Thursday became the first Orthodox Christian country to legalize same-sex “marriage” and adoption of children. In a move signaling the widespread departure of the country from its Orthodox Christian roots, Greece’s Parliament approved the landmark legislation with 176 voting in favor and 76 against. Two legislators abstained from the vote, and 46 were not present in the house. The legislation was drafted by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who pledged his support for legal same-sex “marriage” days into his second term. Mitsotakis, who belongs to the New Democracy party’s moderate faction, celebrated the law’s passage in a post on...

A Catholic church in Lexington, Kentucky, hosted a “blessing” of a same-sex couple that had been civilly “married” for 22 years, citing the Vatican’s heterodox declaration Fiducia Supplicans. The Saint Paul Catholic Church parish posted a picture of the “blessing” on their official Facebook page, showing the parish priest Fr. Richard Watson wearing a rainbow stole and extending his hands for a “blessing” over the lesbian couple close to the altar inside the church. “History was made Sunday at Historic Saint Paul Catholic Church,” the text accompanying the photo read. “This same-sex couple, civilly married for 22 years, asked for...

How charming…. Target just hired someone named Erik Thompson, also known as the Gay Cruella on Instagram (duh), who is Target’s new LGBTQIA+ (say that 10 times fast!) multicultural merchandising strategy and Pride businesses leader! Yes, really. It’s no secret that the retail store Target has not endeared itself to Christians anytime lately. In fact, Target’s main focus in recent years has been about pushing ‘LGBTQ’ propaganda by prioritizing products that support that specific agenda. They’ve done this in spite of the mostly negative responses they’ve received for their trouble. Back in June, Target even backtracked on pushing their “pride”...

Is there a “quieter middle space” when it comes to gender, sexuality, and marriage? Well, the individuals behind the Unconditional Conference taking place this week at Pastor Andy Stanley’s North Point Community Church seem to think so. But as Christians, we should always be comparing what anyone says—including a popular, influential pastor such as Andy Stanley (who is presenting at the conference)—against the authority of God’s Word. So when we start with God’s Word, is there a “quieter middle space”? According to the event website, the Unconditional Conference is designed for: Parents of LGBTQ+ children and for ministry leaders looking...

Andy Stanley is finally sharing his thoughts about criticism over his involvement in a recent conference for Christian parents of what the megachurch pastor repeatedly referred to as “gay kids.” Stanley, whose North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia, hosted the Unconditional Conference last week, spoke candidly to his congregation in a message Sunday that, unlike the rest of the church’s sermons, was not live-streamed on North Point’s digital platforms. In an audio recording of the sermon leaked to social media, Stanley addressed a number of topics, including the controversy surrounding the Unconditional Conference and the church’s theological stance on...

Daily Wire host Matt Walsh dove into the “huge” ruling from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals that upheld Tennesee’s and Kentucky’s bans on puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and gender surgeries on gender-confused children. In its 2-1 ruling rejecting a challenge to the laws from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and families of trans-identifying children, the federal court “thoroughly dismantled, point-by-point, every disingenuous argument from trans activists,” Walsh said in a thread posted to X. “The case arose because of laws in TN and KY banning the use of puberty blockers and sterilizing cross-sex hormones on children. The laws...

The German government are considering proposals to open “body exploration rooms” for young children who wish to explore their sexuality with adults. Germany’s top professional association on sexuality and partnership, Pro Familia, is lobbying the government to force daycare centers to implement “body exploration rooms” and “sexual games” for young children. The issue was first reported by news outlet BILD who revealed that parents were sent an e-mail from an Arbeiterwohlfahrt (AWO) daycare center in the Hanover region which presented a list of ten rules explaining how children in the “body exploration room” would be encouraged to “pet and examine”...

The GOP presidential hopeful who kicked off his campaign with a declaration of 10 foundational TRUTHs beginning with “God is real” recently strayed from truth when he declared that homosexuality is “hardwired” at birth and that the burgeoning number of transgendered individuals are folks who are “really just gay.” The claims were made by candidate Vivek Ramaswamy during a recent “All-In Podcast.” “The gay rights movement was predicated on the idea, which I’m quite sympathetic to, that the sex of the person that you’re attracted to is hardwired on the day you’re born,” Ramaswamy said. His assertion that homosexuality is...

Canadian Muslims are planning to hold a “Million Person March” to combat LGBT indoctrination in schools. On September 22, 2023, Ottawa businessman and Muslim activist Kamel El-Cheikh hopes to gather Canadians of all faiths to march against LGBT ideology being pushed on children in the nation’s schools. “I am optimistic – absolutely,” El-Cheikh told the Post Millennial in a recent interview. “You know, if [there’s] one thing that’s going to inspire Canadians from coast to coast to go down and protest, it’s the kids and their innocence and it’s families.” In recent months, El-Cheikh has led Muslim and Christian groups...

If you live in America, the chances are that not only is religion not the most important thing in your life—84% of you—but additionally, nearly 30% of you feel it’s not important at all, or up 10% from a decade ago. A new survey by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) contains both warning and comfort for the nation’s faithful. On the one hand, religion is plummeting fast on the priority lists of most Americans, but on the other, most of those remaining in the Christian church, 59%, have attended their houses of worship for more than 10 years. And...

"I mean this with all my heart; please go f--- yourselves SCOTUS," tweeted Josh Gad, while Andy Cohen wrote, "Legalizing discrimination. Incredible." The U.S. Supreme Court made not one, but two controversial, conservative-led rulings regarding LBGTQ rights and student loans on Friday -- and it's safe to say many in Hollywood and beyond are angry with the decisions.

June is designated as “Pride Month,” which is allegedly about inclusion and diversity, but the Pride Police don’t actually believe in that. There is no diversity of opinions on LGBTQ issues. It’s “My Way” or the Bigot Highway. They say Pride Month is about visibility, but there shall be no visibility for any resistance. Their mentality: agree, or vanish. In Grand Rapids, Michigan, “scandal” erupted when a news manager at WOOD-TV wrote a memo to staff to remember that there were two differing views on Pride events in the community. Quickly, the station’s owner – Nexstar, the largest owner of...

The reluctance to acknowledge Islamic homophobia among gay rights advocates, left-wing politicians, and the media poses risks to all non-Muslims and undermines the principles they claim to champion. Hamtramck, Michigan – The clash between leftist ideologies and Islamic beliefs regarding LGBTQ+ rights has once again taken center stage, igniting a controversial debate in the diverse city of Hamtramck. The display of LGBTQ+ Pride flags on government property has become a focal point, revealing tensions and raising questions about the alliance between left-wing principles and Islamic teachings. The discord between the claimed championing of LGBTQ+ rights and the contradictions within Islamic...

Believe me, I would much rather write about the Lord’s soon return than gay pride—or rather, gay depravity. God introduced the rainbow in Genesis 9. It was a part of a promise He made. A whole twisted movement hijacked it. In America, the month of June is set aside to celebrate the gay lifestyle. But let’s be honest: the Western culture demands the near-constant celebration of homosexuality every day and every month of every year. Throw in the now-celebrated trans agenda, and the culture decline is astounding. We are racing backward to the days of Noah. Trans nudity was even...

The Trevor Project, whose mission is to “end suicide among LGBTQ young people,” has partnered with common household brands to develop their respective pride-themed collections and has, in some cases, received seven-figure donations from corporate sponsors. The major corporate partnerships, which include iconic clothing brands such as Abercrombie & Fitch to fast food chains like Chipotle, come despite the organization’s unsafe online practices. The youth-oriented LGBT activist group hosts an anonymous online chat forum “Trevor Space,” which allows adults to communicate with minors, National Review previously reported. The organization hosts multiple age-segregated chatrooms but has no age-verification system in place,...

Pride Month 2023 is shaping up to be the definitive battle for the soul of America as both sides square off to battle Tens of thousands of LGBTQ+ people are flocking to central Florida this weekend to go on theme park rides, mingle with costumed performers, dance at all-night parties and lounge poolside at hotels during Gay Days, a decades-long tradition. They say a large turnout will send a message that LGBTQ+ people are not going away in Florida, which is continually one of the most popular states for tourists to visit. Gay days indeed, and your King James Bible...

After Bud Light and Target, The North Face has become the latest American brand to face a boycott for promoting Pride. The company's Summer of Pride ad was released yesterday on its Instagram page and has already drawn ire from conservative consumers. The commercial features drag queen 'Pattie Gonia' telling consumers to 'come out... in nature with us!' and declaring themselves a 'real life homosexual!' 'Hi it's me Patti Gonia - a real life homosexual. Today I'm here with the North Face and we are here to invite you to come out... in nature with us!' Pattie - who lists...

NASHVILLE (LifeSiteNews) — The governor of Tennessee has signed legislation that defines sex as binary and biological in state law and allows teachers to reject the use of “preferred pronouns” with their students. Last week, Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed into law two bills that defend the true definition of sex and prevent teachers from being forced to participate in gender ideology in the classroom. Both pieces of legislation were signed on Wednesday, May 17. SB 1440 amends the Tennessee Code to include a statewide definition of sex, countering the lie permeating the country that human beings can choose whether...

It's a scene becoming more common outside state capitol buildings across the country: Protesters outraged as legislators inside move to pass new laws restricting transgender rights. So far this year, 54 bills restricting transgender rights have passed in 18 states, according to the Trans Legislation Tracker. Most of those bills limit gender-affirming care for transgender youth and restrict their participation in school activities, like sports. Despite the viral scenes of protest, a new Scripps News/YouGov poll shows Americans largely support these types of laws. The poll found 44% of Americans support laws restricting transgender care for minors, compared with 34%...