Arkansas Students Are Protected Against Compelled Pronoun Use by Good State Laws

Religious Freedom, , ,

A student in northwest Arkansas recently faced pressure at school to use “they/them” pronouns for classmates who claimed not to be male or female. When she declined, she was pressured to do so by other students.  She was concerned that the school administration might punish her for refusing to comply.  

Stephanie Nichols, director of our Arkansas Justice Institute, was able to help. Stephanie explained that three laws safeguard the student’s right to stand firm in her faith and refuse to use pronouns that recognize any gender that is different from the person’s sex at birth.  These laws are:  

  • The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution 
  • The Arkansas Religious Freedom Restoration Act 
  • The Arkansas Given Name Act (Act 542 of 2023)

The Given Name Act, sponsored by Rep. Wayne Long and Sen. Mark Johnson, directly addresses this issue. It states: “A student shall not be subject to any disciplinary action for declining to address a person using a name other than the name listed on the person’s birth certificate; or pronoun or title that is inconsistent with the person’s biological sex.”

Thanks to these laws, this student was on solid legal ground. This case is a clear example of why the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the Arkansas Given Name Act—laws that Family Council worked hard to pass—are producing such good results today. And now, through the Arkansas Justice Institute, our attorney Stephanie Nichols is able to show families exactly how to use these protections to defend their rights and freedoms. 

Thankfully, through the good work of the Arkansas legislature and the generous gifts of our supporters, students in Arkansas are on solid footing with regard to their free speech rights and freedom of religion rights in our public schools.

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Gary Stubblefield: A Good Man, A Faithful Servant

In Memoriam, Legislature

My friend, Senator Gary Stubblefield, passed from this life into Heaven on September 2. When I heard the sad news, my thoughts raced back to 2011—the first day I met Gary. He was serving his first term in the Arkansas House. When I extended my hand to introduce myself, his enthusiasm caught me off guard, but his fearless nature impressed me even more.

At that time, with the House Public Health Committee killing every pro-life bill, I mentioned how difficult it had been to find sponsors for pro-life legislation. Tilting his head slightly and giving me that unforgettable smile, he said, “You get me a bill, and I’ll sponsor it.” We helped him draft a commonsense bill affirming the right of a woman to use deadly force to defend her unborn child against an attack. As expected, the committee defeated the bill along with nine out of ten others that session. But Gary came out of that defeat ready to take on the entire liberal world—and he did, and he won.

During his fourteen-year legislative career, he never once turned us down when we asked him to sponsor a bill. He championed the good causes: ending abortion, protecting religious freedom, defunding Planned Parenthood, fighting filth in our libraries, defending parental rights, standing for the Second Amendment, protecting women’s sports, and opposing sex changes on children. We have an entire wall of framed copies of good laws we’ve worked on—and Gary Stubblefield’s name is on many of them, either as a lead sponsor or co-sponsor.

Passing laws is important, but living as a truly good man is far greater. Gary never set out to be great, but he was. He never sought to be a hero, yet he became one. He never asked to be remembered, but he will be—both in our hearts and in God’s everlasting Kingdom. I only wish I could say to him today what I believe he has already heard from the Lord Himself: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

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Federal Court Says Arkansas Can Enforce the SAFE Act

Transgender, , ,

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, August 12, 2025

On Tuesday a three-judge panel from the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision letting Arkansas enforce its 2021 Save Adolescents From Experimentation (SAFE) Act.

Family Council President Jerry Cox released a statement saying, “This is amazing news. The SAFE Act is a good law that protects children from puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and sex-change surgeries. It has been blocked in court for the past four years. Now the State of Arkansas can finally enforce this good law protecting children. That’s something to celebrate.”

Cox called the SAFE Act a common sense measure that protects children. “Over the past four years, public health experts in the U.S., the U.K., Sweden, Finland, and other nations have found that science simply does not support performing these procedures on kids. The SAFE Act is common sense legislation that protects children. That’s why the Arkansas Legislature voted overwhelmingly to pass it in 2021. That’s why more than half the states in America have passed similar laws since then. And that’s why the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a similar law in Tennessee earlier this year. Most people agree it is not right to perform sex-change procedures on kids.”

Cox praised the Arkansas Legislature and the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office for supporting the SAFE Act. “The Arkansas Legislature did the right thing by passing the SAFE Act in 2021, and the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office has worked tirelessly to defend it in court ever since. Arkansans should be proud that we have elected officials who are so deeply committed to protecting children.”

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