February 2026 Newsletter
There is a noticeable shift happening across our institutions. Policies that sideline parents, ignore biological reality, and pressure individuals to comply rather than question are no longer theoretical. They are impacting families, students, and educators in real and immediate ways. Decisions that once would have been unthinkable are now standard practice. This is not a series of isolated issues. It is a broader shift taking place in real time, and it demands clarity, conviction, and a decisive response.
At Advocates for Faith & Freedom, we are meeting that moment head-on. From the courtroom to the community, we are actively defending those who are willing to stand. This month has brought meaningful progress on several fronts. Our Save Girls’ Sports case has been revived in federal court. A new resource has been released to equip teachers. A critical appeal advancing religious liberty and medical freedom is moving forward in the Ninth Circuit.
Girls’ Sports Case Reopened
In a significant legal victory, a federal court has reopened our case defending female athletes and their right to fair competition. After previously dismissing the case, the Court granted reconsideration and allowed key claims to move forward, including claims for monetary damages under Title IX and constitutional violations under the First and Fourteenth Amendments.
This case was brought on behalf of two high school athletes who were forced to compete against biological males and then faced retaliation for speaking out. They were not asking for special treatment. They were asking for fairness and for the protections that Title IX was designed to guarantee.
Instead, they were dismissed and told to accept a system that ignored biological reality.
Now, the Court has confirmed that their claims deserve to be heard.
This ruling moves the case forward and requires the school district to answer for its actions. It also sends a clear message that schools cannot disregard fairness without consequence. At its core, this case is about whether the law will protect the rights of girls or allow them to be set aside.
Taylor Starling and Kaitlyn Slavin
Equipping Teachers to Stand Firm
While we continue to fight in the courts, we are also equipping individuals to stand firm before legal battles begin.
In response to many inquiries from educators across California, we have developed a Religious Accommodation Resource for Teachers. This includes a sample letter that can be used when requesting an exemption from a mandatory training program that addresses gender identity and sexuality.
This resource gives teachers a clear way to articulate their convictions while asserting their rights under the law. It is one of the many ways we work to defend freedom beyond the courtroom by providing practical tools to those who need them.
Not every battle begins with a lawsuit. Many are addressed early when individuals are prepared, informed, and willing to stand.
Religious Liberty Appeal Moves Forward
We are also advancing a critical religious liberty case before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, with oral arguments scheduled for April 17.
On behalf of four California mothers, we are challenging SB 277, the law that eliminated all religious exemptions for childhood vaccines. For decades, families were allowed to make decisions based on sincerely held beliefs. That protection was removed, forcing families to choose between their faith and their children’s access to education.
At the same time, the State continues to allow multiple secular exemptions. Medical exemptions, age-based exceptions, and other allowances remain in place. Religious families, however, are excluded.
Before the State can impose such a sweeping restriction, it must demonstrate that it is necessary. That standard becomes difficult to meet when numerous secular exemptions remain.
This case goes to the core of the First Amendment. Religious liberty cannot be treated as optional or secondary to government preference. This appeal presents an important opportunity to restore fairness and reaffirm constitutional protections.
We ask you to be in prayer for our attorneys as they prepare and present this case, for clarity and strength during oral arguments, and for a favorable decision that upholds the rights of families to live according to their faith.
Stand With Us
The stakes are rising, and the outcome of these fights will shape what freedoms remain protected. Because of your support, cases are moving forward, individuals are being equipped, and meaningful progress is being made.
We ask you to stand with us. Pray for these cases. Share these resources. Give to sustain this work.
The fight continues, and your partnership makes it possible.
Robert Tyler President and Chief Counsel
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7
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