SAVE THE DATE: NOV 15, 2025

UNITED WE STAND: CONFRONTING CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM AT HOME

Mainstream's summit on church-state separation

We are seeing the destruction of democratic institutions and values every day. Those who would make our country an authoritarian theocracy are gaining and abusing their power.

This is Christian Nationalism, and we see it everywhere from our local school boards to Congress:

• Project 2025 is becoming real right before our eyes.
• Members of Congress and State Legislators are proudly claiming the Christian Nationalist title.
• Supreme Court decisions are increasingly privileging one religious belief over the rights and safety of others and breaking down the wall between church and state.
• Religious extremism is rising in our statehouse and creating policy that reaches into our classrooms, our doctors' offices, and our homes.

It's on us to stand united.

The US Supreme Court has ended their 2025 term by releasing several highly anticipated decisions. For the first time in several years, the court heard religious freedom cases that will have a major impact on the way First Amendment rights are interpreted for the foreseeable future.

It was a painful term that set us back decades.

We have three urgent action alerts for you to do as soon as possible! Please use your voice and contact your state legislators before 5:00 on Friday to stand up for public schools, reproductive rights, and queer youth.

Not sure who your state legislator is or how they voted on these bills? Find out at KSLegLookUp.org.

Mainstream Messenger: What to Expect from the KS Leg Week 8 -

Another Embarrassing Week for Kansans

Hi Mainstream supporter,

In case you missed it, last week was quite the embarrassment in the KS Legislature. Between legislator tantrums shutting down committee hearings, legislators refusing to answer questions regarding voting rights from the House floor, and continuing investigations into a near-brawl between Republican and Democrat legislators, we don't have a lot of nice things to say about the majority of our Kansas Legislature right now. And that's before we even talk about this gem of a townhall with U.S. Sen Marshall!

This week we have more shenanigans to prepare for, starting with the hearing of SB 76 tomorrow (Tuesday, 3/4) in the House Committee on Education. This bill, titled the "given name act" would restrict teachers' first amendment right of free speech by prohibiting them from using chosen names and pronouns for students unless they have written permission from parents. It also would put into statute that teachers and school staff are not required to use chosen names/pronouns, even with parent consent. We obviously have problems with the hypocrisy of this so called free speech, parents' right bill that is just a mask for trans erasure. You can read our submitted testimony here.

Tomorrow is also Equality Day at the statehouse, making the hearing on SB 76 a slap in the face to the hundreds of LGBTQ+ Kansans who will join us in Topeka to tell their stories and ask legislators to support LGBTQ+ equality. Despite countless Kansans showing up daily to testify on issues that impact them and their loved ones, the KS Legislature continues to pass bills to try to erase queer Kansans, control women's bodies, and gut our public education in favor of private, often religious, schools.

We know it's hard to focus on state and local advocacy when so much is going wrong at the federal level. So thank you to everyone who takes action with us and to everyone who came by at last Saturday's Boots on the Ground Volunteer Fair to learn more about Mainstream. Only a few more weeks to go in this year's KS legislative session - let'd do everything we can to stop these attacks on Kansans!