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Morgan Schlesselman

YWA Ambassador Testifies on Texas Girls’ Sports Bill

By | News and Events, Women's Sports, YWA | No Comments

On March 13, 2023, Young Women for America Ambassador Noelle Fitchett testified in front of the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee Hearing on SB 15, a bill that would prohibit biological males from competing in female college athletics.

 

From competing in soccer and dance in high school, as well as having three younger brothers, Noelle can attest to the biological differences between males and females. Because of their strength and athletic capacity, it is unjust to have biological males compete against and alongside biological females. Noelle says, “Allowing men in women’s sports is an outrage and a betrayal of women’s rights. This is discrimination toward women in the 21st century. This is an attack on the progress we have made as a society, an attack on science, on women, and who God created us to be.”

 

You can read Noelle’s statement in full here. You can watch testimony below.

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Noelle cares about keeping female sports for females only because she believes God made man and woman distinctly and differently. She sees the placing of males in female sports as deliberately ignoring what a woman really is, as well as the end of female athletics and therefore, the end to opportunities for so many women in America.

 

On Thursday, March 16, the bill passed out of the committee. We are thankful for the current Texas law that protects girls’ sports by ensuring biological males cannot compete on female teams in K-12 education, and we anticipate the day this bill lands on Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk so that women are protected at every level of athletics in the state of Texas.

 

Picture caption: YWA Ambassador Noelle Fitchett is on the left, and Texas Values’ Director of Government Relations Mary Castle is on the right.

YWA Ambassador Noelle Fitchett
YWA Ambassador Noelle Fitchett and Texas Values' Director of Government Relations Mary Castle.

YWA Testifies on Kansas Female Sports Bill

By | News and Events, Sexual Exploitation, Women's Sports, YWA | No Comments

On March 6, 2023, Young Women for America (YWA) ‘s Southern Regional Coordinator Julia Campbell testified before the Kansas Senate Committee on Education Hearing in support of HB 2238, a bill presented to ensure that all athletes in female sports are indeed biological females.

 

Though Julia is no longer an athlete, she did dance for nine years, and as a woman, she shares the concern for the dangers of letting males compete in female sports. As a Regional Coordinator for YWA, Julia believes that “The role assigned by God to men is to protect women, not trample on them by taking advantage of their giftings, dreams, and platforms. Having men in women’s arenas only further pits males and females against each other. The two sexes prosper when they work in complementary tandem, not disparaging tension. Each should prosper in their giftings, not sell themselves so short that they believe they can only achieve success by taking someone else’s reward.”

 

Read Julia’s statement in full here.

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Julia cares deeply about the issue of keeping female sports for females only because it is one issue in the larger picture of preserving the dignity of being a woman. She bases this belief on how God made man and woman, in His own image, with distinct purposes and identities; we as humans do not have the authority or wisdom to change what God has designed.

 

HB 2238 passed the Committee on Education on March 7, 2023, and we are looking forward to the day when the option to protect women’s sports in Kansas ends up on Gov. Laura Kelly’s desk.

Left to right: Riley Gaines with Julia Campbell. Riley is one of our friends in the fairness in women's sports coalition.
Left to right: Julia Campbell with Brittany Jones, the Director of Policy and Engagement at Kansas Family Voice.

YWA Rutherford County Hosts Pro-Life Event

By | News and Events, Sanctity of Life, YWA | No Comments

YWA Rutherford County Hosts Pro-Life Event

On Monday, March 6, our Young Women for America (YWA) Rutherford County, Tennessee, chapter president Hannah Faulkner hosted a Culture of Life Banquet to highlight pro-life organizations, hear from pro-life speaker Victoria Robinson, and participate in a special offering for Portico, a local pregnancy center. More than seventy-five people, of all ages, were in attendance.

 

Nicole Herschberger from Turning Point USA Faith, Joshua Rosales with Latinos for Tennessee, and Tammy Burrow with Portico all shared ways to get involved locally with the pro-life movement. 

 

At this event, I was able to share about the mission of YWA and Concerned Women for America (CWA) with a focus on what we do on the sanctity of life issue. I shared a video that beautifully portrays CWA’s fight for life throughout the decades. It was an honor to share with people about CWA’s heart for the unborn, and it was encouraging to see so many people spend their evening learning about how they can be involved and be a voice for the voiceless.

 

As Hannah said when she opened the night, “We as Christians in this nation have a duty, and that duty is to take a stand for life. It may be uncomfortable, but we must continue to fight and make our voices heard.” 

L-R: Hannah Faulkner, Morgan Schlesselman, YWA National Director
People loved grabbing the YWA pro-life stickers and the CWA push cards with pro-life facts.
YWA Rutherford County chapter president Hannah Faulkner did a great job opening the event and encouraging those in attendance to take a strong stance for the unborn.

Not Unto Death

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By Sarah Merly, YWA Ambassador at Patrick Henry College

 

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it He said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” John 11:1-4, ESV

 

Every year, I stand upon dusty brown grass in the bleary grayness of January, joining a vast crowd huddled for hours on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. As nihilistic as it sounds, this event is truly one of my favorite traditions. This year, the March for Life celebrated its 50th anniversary by holding its first March after the reversal of Roe v. Wade, and everyone was so proud and thankful to stand in our nation’s capital for this historic moment. Speakers like Tony Dungy and Jonathan Roumie continually encouraged us to persevere in Christ’s name. Reporters weaved their way through the masses, hoping to share our thoughts with the world. One of those reporters, Doug Blair of Salem Media Group, asked me a few questions about my stance on the issue of life.

 

“What does this mean to you?”

 

 What does this mean? I thought to myself. It means everything.

 

I ended up answering the question apologetically, thinking of the unbelievers who may be watching the late-night show later on. The March means we’re saving unborn, overlooked, and devalued children’s lives. We’re the ones who are empowering women, not the Left.

 

I knew it was meant to be a brief interview. After editing, I appeared on the show for less than a minute. But I also knew that many pro-abortion activists hear those same arguments, day in and day out, and never once stop to think that they could be true. For me, though, the issue of life is not simply a moral issue with completely rational supporting arguments—though it is—it is also an issue that I care about from my heart, from the experience I journeyed through as a child.

 

Here follows what I longed to say on camera.

 

I grew up in the glorious sunshine of Florida as the eldest of five children. I had known and loved Jesus for as long as I could remember. In addition, I had participated in several local Walks for Life and volunteered to help younger children in my church. I always believed abortion was equal to no less than murder, and I never questioned that.

 

On one fateful day in February 2015, however, my life changed forever. At age 12, I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). My pancreas had stopped working (no one knew why), and because of that, I couldn’t eat again without insulin shots, on an average of seven times per day. My first task every morning was to stick a needle in my leg, and my last task every day was the same. I was utterly terrified of needles at the time—and what was worse, the first type of insulin the doctor prescribed to me gave me a horrible allergic reaction. And I had to do this for the rest of my life because there was no cure. Eventually, I fell into a state of serious depression.

 

Those who argue for abortion could use this as a classic tale of why babies in the womb who might have disabilities are better off dead before birth. After my diagnosis, I felt like I wanted to believe that. One of the main reasons was that I was terrified to fall asleep at night because I knew that if my sugar suddenly dropped and I didn’t wake up, I could soon die. I felt like I had my life in my hands at all times, and when I fell asleep, I was utterly helpless, utterly at the hands of death itself. Like Martha and Mary, I was convinced that this illness only meant a slow, miserable death.

 

Contrary to my imagination, though, Jesus was indeed holding onto me. During one of my worst weeks with depression, I had to practice some music on the piano for worship that coming Sunday. One of the songs was “Give Me Faith” by Elevation Worship. Listening to the chorus over and over and talking with the other women on the worship team completely changed my perspective.

 

Give me faith to trust what You say

That You’re good and Your love is great

I’m broken inside

I give You my life

 

At that point, “I give You my life” suddenly took on a very literal meaning for me. It wasn’t just a matter of accepting Jesus into my heart but trusting Him with the overwhelming fragility and difficulty of my earthly life. From that point on, I committed to giving God all my burdens and trusting that if He wants me to live another day, He’ll make that happen, even when I can’t comprehend how.

 

With that trust arrived so much joy, albeit gradually. I began to see the beauty in every day and rejoiced at the miracles with which God had surrounded me. Now I am filled with a zest for life that I never could have had without T1D, because I have learned to let go of my physical life. Yes, I still go through a lot to take care of myself every day, but it no longer feels like a burden because the fear of death doesn’t define me. I now wear several devices on my body that prolong my life very much, but looking back, I realize that I needed to live through the difficulty of needles (versus a pump) to truly treasure those blessings. Without diabetes, who knows how much I’d be committed to investing in others, to proving that a disability does not necessarily equate to a life of misery?

 

What does the “life issue” mean to me? It means that everyone should have a chance to experience the joy with which my heart now overflows. It means that we do have an answer to the Left’s pathetic version of “pity” for the “disabled.” It means that every trial, every tribulation, every thorn in the flesh can transform into a pristine, Heavenly avenue of God’s glory.

 

This sickness is not unto death.

Local Bookstore Hosts Book Reading with a Drag Queen

By | News and Events, Sexual Exploitation, YWA | No Comments

By Young Women for America Ambassador, Hannah Gebhardt

 

On Saturday, February 11, local Morganton, North Carolina, business Adventure Bound Books hosted the Rainbow Readers Story Time event. The store invited young readers to “Join us as we welcome local Drag Queen Chloe Capri to the story time stage to read The You Kind of You. Craft to follow story.”

 

According to the TikTok page @chloecaprithequeen, Chloe Capri is a drag performer with Just Two Guys Productions. Capri has taken part in various drag events, including several shows at another local Morganton restaurant, Moondog Pizza, where multiple “kid-friendly” drag events have taken place. Capri was invited to Adventure Bound to take part in a read-aloud of The You Kind of You by Nina West, a children’s book that teaches “kindness, community, love, and inclusion.”

 

Author of the book, Nina West, is a drag queen and advocate of the Disney Pride initiative. According to an article by Sabina Graves, “West aims to spread awareness that kindness is needed more than ever, especially with legislation all over the U.S. with the potential to endanger LGBTQ youth.”[1] West’s book exposes children to the LGBTQ+ movement, teaching them to embrace who they feel to be on the inside.

 

Events like these rob children of their innocence by teaching them that they should explore sexual preferences and desires at a young age. The LGBTQ+ movement is based entirely on redefining the biological standards of sexuality, and therefore, any material in relation to this movement should not be given or discussed in front of young, developing minds. Today’s youth are statistically the gayest generation in history because our society continues to desensitize morality by redefining objective truth.

 

Ephesians 4:14-15 explains, “So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ.” Our God is not a God of confusion, but rather He has given us His Word to lead us in grace and truth. The LGBTQ+ movement calls children to love themselves by a worldly standard, leaving them empty as they look upon their depraved state. But true love comes from the truth of the Word of God; that we have been intentionally designed by our Creator and have been called to glorify Him. It’s time to stop exploiting children, and instead begin loving by guarding them with grace and truth.

 

[1] Graves, Sabina. “Nina West on the Importance of Kindness and Being a Fantastical Fan.” Gizmodo, 25 Nov. 2022, https://gizmodo.com/nina-west-drag-star-disney-pride-icon-new-kids-book-1849817738.

 

 

YWA Leader Testifies on Virginia Girls’ Sports Bill

By | News and Events, Women's Sports, YWA | No Comments

On January 30, 2023, Young Women for America Ambassador Halli Gravley testified before the Virginia House of Delegates Higher Education Subcommittee Hearing in support of HB 1387, a fairness in women’s sports bill.

 

As a current female athlete on a college synchronized skating team in Virginia, Halli provided a much-needed perspective in this discussion. Furthermore, as an Ambassador for Young Women for America, Halli was able to “represent not only myself as an athlete but also young women across this state and this country who believe one of the most foundational truths that have existed from the beginning of time – God created two distinct sexes male and female. Allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports is an attack on science— on physical reality— and a betrayal of women’s rights.”

 

You can watch Halli’s shortened testimony here or read her statement in full here.

 

Halli is no stranger to the fight to defend the integrity of women’s sports as she testified a year ago in her home state of Kentucky in support of HB 23, the Save Women’s Sports Act, which passed and was signed into law.

 

HB 1387 passed the Higher Education Subcommittee, and we are looking forward to the day when the option to protect women’s sports in Virginia ends up on Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s desk.

Left to Right: Riley Gaines, Halli Gravley, Marshi Smith, and Abi Prudent. Riley and Marshi are some of our friends in the fairness in women’s sports coalition. Abi is a classmate of Halli’s, and she also testified in support of HB 1387.

Local Restaurant Hosts Disney-Themed Drag Show

By | Defense of Family, News and Events, Sexual Exploitation, YWA | No Comments

By YWA Ambassador Hannah Gebhardt

 

As a former staff member at a children’s summer camp and the wife of a children’s minister, I have had the pleasure of getting to experience the innocence and joy that comes from the mind of a child. It is for this reason that news like the following breaks my heart. On January 15, 2023, Moondog Pizza, a local restaurant in downtown Morganton, North Carolina hosted a Disney themed drag show for all ages. The show consisted of several “drag queens” who engaged in Disney themed performances, aimed at fans of the well-loved franchise. Many local supporters of the restaurant posted comments showing support of Moondog’s drag show, emphasizing how “kid-friendly” the event was. Disney was created and still is by design a company whose target audience is young children and teens. Through using a childlike theme, the restaurant encouraged parents to bring their children and expose them to indecent sexual performances under the guise of a family experience.

Businesses and individuals across the country are promoting what they believe to be a culture of acceptance, but the sad reality is that events like this attack the most vulnerable members of society, our children. Karl Marx believed that the destruction of the nuclear family was necessary for the creation of a socialist society, the stepping stone to his ultimate goal of a communist utopia. Sadly, Marx was exactly right. Whether we want to accept it or not, our culture is determined to destroy the nuclear family in order to reshape morality. But this is where every single individual should draw the line.

 

The apostle Peter writes, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) The enemy is real and as Christian’s we are called to use reason in order to discern the truth among the evil that prevails in our society. I refuse to sit back and let corrupt businesses like this destroy morality by exploiting innocent and impressionable young children. It’s time for all of us to stand together and use our voices in order to fight for the protection of children against sexual exploitation.

We Don’t Have to Wonder

By | News and Events, Sanctity of Life, YWA | No Comments

Insight from the Next Generation – Sierra Welch, our Young Women for America Ambassador at North Central University in Minneapolis, Minnesota, shares her thoughts on the intentionality of our creation.

 

From the moment I was created in my mother’s womb, I was female. There is such power, beauty, and intentionality in this reality. I praise God that He ordained such an important and foundational part of who I am. We are the created beings called to love and worship a holy and marvelous God worthy of all praise. Through His good pleasure and love, He created beings to inhabit and rule over the earth.

 

We are the form molded by the potter’s hands, and as we read in Isaiah 45:9, “Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ or ‘Your work has no handles?'”

 

We do not have the wisdom or infinite knowledge and understanding of God to distrust what He has ordained. Rather, we can trust the God who created the heavens and the earth, the cosmos and the atom, the mountains and the valleys, the oceans and the babbling brooks, none of which compare to the crescendo of creation, man and woman.

 

We can trust that God created our manhood and womanhood without mistake, without question, and without fear of fault or error. We can also trust that every human life has value, purpose, destiny, and a call by God to salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ.

 

Every human life has dignity inside and outside of the womb. Both mom, dad, unborn child, and born child have value, are priceless, and have been bought with an unmatched price through the blood of Jesus Christ.