Welcome to the Friday Five! Every Friday we share our top five articles, stories, and quotes for you to read and share with your friends and church families.

We would be very grateful if you could make a donation of $100, $50, $25, or $10 today towards our work producing these Friday Fives and fighting for your values on the public square!

1. NC VALUES: Summer May Slow Down—But Not at NC Values

While summer is often a time when things slow down, that’s not the case for us—or for the North Carolina General Assembly.

As we head into June, our team at NC Values is still working hard to advocate for six pro-life, pro-family, and pro-freedom bills that successfully made the crossover deadline. Now, we’re focused on ensuring these critical pieces of legislation receive votes in the opposite chamber and ultimately make it to the Governor’s desk.

Would you consider making a one-time or monthly donation today to help us continue this important work? Every gift helps us stand strong for life, family, and freedom in North Carolina.

Give once: https://secure.anedot.com/nc-values-coalition/nc-values

Give monthly: https://secure.anedot.com/nc-values-coalition/membership

2. ICYMI: DHHS Gender Dysphoria Report

“Washington, D.C.—The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health and Office of Population Affairs, released a comprehensive review of the evidence and best practices for promoting the health of children and adolescents with gender dysphoria. This review, informed by an evidence-based medicine approach, reveals serious concerns about medical interventions, such as puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries, that attempt to transition children and adolescents away from their sex.

The review highlights a growing body of evidence pointing to significant risks—including irreversible harms such as infertility—while finding very weak evidence of benefit. That weakness has been a consistent finding of systematic reviews of evidence around the world.”

Read more: https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/gender-dysphoria-report-release.html

Read the summary: https://opa.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/2025-05/gender-dysphoria-report-exec-summary.pdf

Read the comprehensive review: https://opa.hhs.gov/gender-dysphoria-report

3. DAILY WIRE: Girls Will Get Their Medals: California Clarifies Transgender Policy For High School Track Finals

“The governing body that oversees California high school sports clarified on Wednesday that its new policy for the upcoming track meet this weekend would still award girls their rightful places on the podium, even if a trans-identifying boy has one of the top scores.

In a statement shared with The Daily Wire, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) said that at the state championships, ‘a biological female student-athlete who would have earned a specific placement on the podium will also be awarded the medal for that place and the results will be reflected in the recording of the event.'”

Read more: https://www.dailywire.com/news/girls-will-get-their-medals-california-clarifies-transgender-policy-for-high-school-track-finals

4. WORLD: Censored: “He is He,” and, “She is She”

“A social worker filed a lawsuit against an Oregon school district on Wednesday after officials banned him from displaying several children’s books about God’s design for gender.

Rod Theis, a licensed clinical social worker at InterMountain Education Service District in Umatilla County, wanted to display the books He is Heand She is She in his office. The books explain to children ages 2-8 how they can embrace and love the way God made them.”

Read more: https://wng.org/roundups/censored-he-is-he-and-she-is-she-1748377993

5. TEXAS TRIBUNE: Texas Just Defined Man and Woman. Here’s Why That Matters.

“The Texas Legislature has passed a bill that strictly defines man and woman based on reproductive organs. The bill has no civil or criminal penalties attached, but instead will take these new definitions and apply them across state records.

When Gov. Greg Abbott signs House Bill 229, Texas will become the 14th state to implement one of these so-called “sex definition” laws in recent years. Supporters of the legislation say it’s necessary to protect women’s rights and spaces, and the immutable differences between the sexes.”

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/29/texas-trans-sex-definition-state-documents-impact/

We’ve been working hard this legislative long session to pass the “Women’s Safety and Protection Act” (SB 516/HB 791), which defines sex on the basis of biological reality.

Learn more about our bill here: https://ncvalues.org/womens_safety_bill/

Weekly Prayer: Officials

LORD, you also have instructed us to pray for our governing officials, and we come to you in the spirit of this petition. We pray for our state government and its executive, legislative, and judicial servants. May they indeed be servants unto the people, and govern in a manner that protects liberty and virtue. In the same spirit, we pray for public servants across our local governments. May they all heed your mandate in Romans 13:4 to be in positions of authority as “God’s servant” and for the “good” of the public. They govern in what we confess are difficult times. May they plead with you to give them wisdom, and may your grace to govern wisely be poured out on them.

Protect us from the oppression and loss of freedoms that other countries have experienced, and help us to value and preserve freedom, which we know comes only from You.

“I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt.  I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free.” Acts 7:34

Amen

Sincerely,

Tami & Team

NC Values