Welcome to Breakpoint, a daily look in an ever-changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth.

For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street.

On July 16th, Alliance Defending Freedom filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Eric and Sarah Smith,

the owners of Born Again News Books in Colorado Springs.

The suit asserts that Colorado's Anti-Discrimination Act

violates the First Amendment rights of citizens by compelling speech that goes against conscience.

Under the new law, all places of public accommodation are required to refer to people however they

demand, including so-called preferred pronouns, and also that so-called misgendering or dead-naming could lead the legal action.

The Smith's lawsuit argues that independent bookstores like theirs have always served as places where ideas can be cultivated and discussed.

Thus, and I quote, the government has no business infringing on that editorial discretion or telling

bookstores what to say, what views to affirm, or what sides to pick in ideological debates, end quote.

That's exactly what the law does, and not just for bookstores. Here's how the ADF statement about

the case puts it, quote, although Born Again Used Books happily sells its

products to everyone, Colorado now compels the bookstore to speak using pronouns and titles

based on a person's preferred gender expression, thereby requiring the store to prioritize a

person's professed identity over biological reality.

That violates the Christian bookstore's beliefs and the First Amendment, end quote.

Well, I've known Eric and Sarah Smith for about two decades now.

In addition to running Born Again books, Eric's a full-time pastor, and Sarah homeschools their children.

They are wonderful people.

And yet, the state of Colorado children. They are wonderful people. And yet the state of Colorado

seems committed to targeting wonderful people, especially if they are people of faith. Thankfully,

...