Last week we received news of two major wins for the pro-family cause. The first was a Texas Supreme Court ruling that affirmed Senate Bill 14 – passed into law by the Texas legislature in 2023 – as constitutional which means it can continue to protect children from dangerous “gender affirming care” procedures. We are grateful to see this important statute defended by Texas’s high court, and hope to see other states follow in their footsteps. This is an important win and a strong precedent that will help protect children all across the nation.
“No child deserves a false sense of hope from the unscientific idea that they are not really the sex they are born. Today, the Texas Supreme Court agrees! This decision affirms what we already know, that doctors cannot mutilate children in the name of healthcare,” Director of Policy for Texas Values Jonathan Covey said in a statement.
South Dakota was the first state to attempt passing a bill such as the one defended in Texas, often known as “Help, Not Harm” bill, and a version of the initial bill was finally passed in our state’s last legislative session. The bill prevents doctors from administering puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones or performing surgery “for the purpose of attempting to alter the appearance of, or to validate a minor’s perception of, the minor’s sex, if that appearance or perception is inconsistent with the minor’s sex.” Thankfully, the South Dakota law has not yet been challenged in court, and we believe this strong ruling from the Texas Supreme Court will further deter any organizations that may attempt to. It also assures us that if it is brought to court, the current law would be upheld.
The second piece of news we are excited to share is that after a massive boycott effort, Tractor Supply Co. announced a complete reversal of their woke policies unlike any we have seen before. They pledged to halt support of Pride events as well as entirely eliminate the “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” agenda from their business.
Journalist and conservative filmmaker Robby Starbuck began a media blitz campaign just three weeks prior to Tractor Supply’s announcement, revealing the depths of their support for the woke agenda. Customers were outraged, enough so that it cost the company $2 billion over the course of those three weeks due to boycotts. Despite the financial incentive to reverse the controversial policies, their statement seemed sincere. It was not merely a half-hearted apology (as many boycotted corporations have released in an attempt to quell the outrage), but an action plan for the future and a commitment to do better. Their statement read:
Going forward, we will ensure our activities and giving tie directly to our business. For instance, this means we will:
- No longer submit data to the Human Rights Campaign
- Refocus our Team Member Engagement Groups on mentoring, networking and supporting the business
- Further focus on rural America priorities including ag education, animal welfare, veteran causes and being a good neighbor and stop sponsoring nonbusiness activities like pride festivals and voting campaigns
- Eliminate DEI roles and retire our current DEI goals while still ensuring a respectful environment
- Withdraw our carbon emission goals and focus on our land and water conservation efforts
“This is a massive victory for sanity and the single biggest boycott win of our lifetime,” Robby Starbuck tweeted after the announcement. “Let stores just be stores again. No politics, no far left social values push, just good products & service. No one is asking for discrimination, just normalcy and to not have your politics shoved down their throat.” (emphasis added)
It’s easy for conservatives, especially Christians, to be disheartened by the state of American politics and culture, but these two major victories reveal once again that there is hope for our nation. We are not too far gone. There is a reason Family Voice and our coalition of family policy councils across the nation are still fighting these culture wars – because we know we can win. Will you join us?
