Approaching Sodom > Now the Xgender lawsuits start in the USA; Will Talarico go to Hell for blasphemy?; Canada's controversial anti-hate bill passes Senate; Christians win flag rights in Jersey City

 

FTC sues World Professional Association for Transgender Health for deceptive practices

By Jon Brown, Christian Post Reporter Wednesday, June 17, 2026

The headquarters of the US Federal Trade Commission in Washington, D.C., November 18, 2024. | ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) joined four states in filing a lawsuit Wednesday against the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) for alleged deceptive practices regarding the treatment of children suffering from gender dysphoria.

The complaint, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas and joined by Alaska, Iowa, Nebraska and Texas, alleges that the world's leading association for transgender medicine made false and unsubstantiated claims to parents to sell pediatric medical transition services for their children, including drugs and surgery.

"When an entity makes a claim about a medical treatment, the claim must be truthful, evidence-based and not misleading," FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson said in a press release. "Children, but especially their parents, must have complete and truthful information when making decisions to purchase medical services. For decades, the FTC has taken action against entities that make deceptive and unsubstantiated health-related claims."

"The complaint filed today reflects that same long-standing mandate: when an entity makes a claim about a medical treatment, the claim must be truthful, evidence-based and not misleading," Ferguson added.

The complaint accuses WPATH, which the FTC described as "an association of clinicians who profit from pediatric medical transition services," of violating the FTC Act by misleading parents and their children about the medical consensus and necessity of transgender procedures, as well as their safety and effectiveness.

WPATH's Standards of Care, which advocate for an "affirmative" model of treatment for those experiencing gender dysphoria, have been used internationally, though several European nations and international health systems have shifted away from this paradigm to embrace a more cautious approach.

Joe Simonson, director of public affairs for the FTC, told reporters that WPATH intentionally "deceived parents and children of the medical and scientific basis for such services" to increase the likelihood that the interventions would be covered by insurance.

"WPATH professional members have profited immensely from the organization's work, but this profit has come at the expense of children and their parents," Simonson said. 

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Texas Lt. Gov Dan Patrick says James Talarico is 'going to Hell' for blasphemy

By Ian M. Giatti, Christian Post Reporter Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick speaks during the Republican Party of Texas 2026 State Convention in Houston, Texas, on June 12, 2026. | Screenshot/YouTube/@Republican Party of Texas

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said he believes Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Rep. James Talarico will “go to Hell” for his interpretations of the Bible.

Speaking June 12 to cheering delegates at the Republican Party of Texas’ 2026 State Convention at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Patrick accused the Austin Democrat of injecting faith into the high-profile Senate race and called Talarico’s views on Scripture blasphemous.

“It’s James Talarico who decided to bring the Bible into this election. And let me tell you, that’s not a Bible I’ve ever read. I’ve never seen so much blasphemy from anyone running for office,” Patrick told the crowd. “Let me tell you what, I’m going to pray for that guy, because when he loses the Senate race, if he campaigns against God as he’s been doing, he’s going to Hell, for sure. That’s what we’re up against. That’s the darkness. That’s the light. That’s why we must be one.”

Last month, Talarico backed down from previous comments he made on various theological views, such as his statement during a 2021 legislative debate that “God is non-binary” and his claim that biological sex exists on a “nuanced spectrum.”

Patrick used his convention speech to rally Republicans to unify ahead of the November election, highlighting Talarico’s strong Democratic support. After warning GOP supporters that Talarcio starts with roughly 45% of the vote automatically and needs only about six more percentage points to win, Patrick pointed to recent election results in Maine, where a Democratic candidate received 72% of the vote.

“We must stand together. We cannot lose Texas. We cannot lose this Senate race,” he said. 

Talarico, who has made his Christian faith a central part of his Senate campaign, responded Friday evening on social media.

“For decades, Dan Patrick has sold out the poor, the sick, and the vulnerable to enrich his donors. Love feels like blasphemy when you worship power,” Talarico wrote on X.

Attorney General Ken Paxton, Talarico’s general election opponent, also spoke at the convention.

Patrick, the presiding officer of the Texas Senate and a leading voice for conservative Christian policies, has long championed legislation aligned with his interpretation of biblical values, often citing his efforts to instill faith-based initiatives in Texas governance, including his support for SB 10, which mandates the display of the Ten Commandments in public classrooms and supporting the sonogram bill, which he says helps protect unborn children.

The U.S. Senate race in Texas is widely expected to be one of the most expensive and closely watched contests in the country, with Democrats hoping to capitalize on anti-Trump sentiment to secure their first statewide victory in more than three decades.

Liberals’ Anti-Hate Bill Set to Become Law in Canada

Anti-hate bill, or anti-free speech and anti-religion bill? Will this bill stand up in Canada's left-leaning Supreme Court when it is challenged on free speech and freedom of religion laws? My guess is the godless, anti-God Liberals will have their way.

The federal government’s new hate crime bill, which has been opposed by Conservatives and religious groups, is set to become law after passing through Parliament.

Bill C-9, known as the Combatting Hate Act, is currently awaiting royal assent now that it has passed through both the House of Commons and the Senate.

The bill passed third reading in the Senate on June 4, usually the final legislative step before royal assent. However, it was then sent back to the House of Commons to consider a Senate amendment adding the noose to the list of prohibited symbols that cannot be used to wilfully promote hatred.

The House passed the amendment with 189 MPs voting in favour and 128 MPs voting against. All parties except the Conservatives voted for the amendment.

The House also voted down a Conservative amendment that sought to withdraw the bill, with 132 voting for and 184 voting against it. The Conservatives, NDP, and the Green Party voted in favour of it, while the Liberals and Bloc Québécois voted against it.

The bill creates new criminal offences associated with intimidation and obstructing access to places of worship, as well as a new offence for intentionally promoting hatred through the public display of certain symbols.

Related Stories

Senate Expands List of Prohibited Symbols in Hate Crime Bill to Include Noose, Bill Headed Back to Commons

Senate Rejects Amendments to Bill C-9 Criminalizing Residential School Denialism

An amendment to the bill that was proposed by the Bloc and adopted by the Liberals removes the religious defence to hate speech in section 319 of the Criminal Code, which currently protects Canadians from charges of wilfully promoting hatred when expressing religious beliefs in good faith.

Conservatives and religious groups have opposed the amendment, arguing that it could infringe on freedom of religion and expression and potentially expose people to prosecution for quoting or teaching religious scriptures.

Meanwhile, the Liberals have said Bill C-9 is important for combatting hate, including the rise of anti-Semitism and hate-motivated violence.

It will be interesting to see if the laws are applied equally against Muslims and Christians. Or will Canada follow the UK in its two-tiered justice system.

Justice Minister Sean Fraser has defended the amendment to remove religious defence to hate speech, saying freedom of religion in Canada is a “fundamental guarantee” under section 2(a) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and would not be impacted by the amendment.

Conservative MP Andrew Lawton has said the removal of religious defence means it will be “easier to prosecute someone for quoting a scripture or expressing a religious viewpoint that someone finds offensive.”

During debate in the House of Commons on June 16, Conservative MP Roman Baber said “nothing that minority communities are actually worried about in terms of security” would be changed by Bill C-9.

Baber said there are existing laws to deal with mischief, intimidation, arson, or assault targeting Jewish communities, and the religious defence in the Criminal Code “does not excuse incitement to violence” as it only applies to statements that are spoken in good faith.

Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux, parliamentary secretary for the Government House Leader, said Bill C-9 would protect institutions such as community centres, churches, gurdwaras, temples, mosques, and synagogues from protests that are intimidating to people who want to attend those institutions. He also said it would protect Canadians from hatred-motivated offences.

“We made a commitment in the last federal election to deal with hatred, and that is what this legislation would do,” Lamoureux said.

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Christian Flag Victory: Jersey City Reverses Course after Religious Liberty Group Intervenes

A New Jersey city has reversed its ban on a Christian flag being raised at City Hall after a religious liberty group cited First Amendment protections and Supreme Court precedent. This decision allows a long-standing tradition to...

A New Jersey city has reversed its decision and will allow a Christian flag to be raised at city hall after a religious liberty group challenged the move on First Amendment grounds.

The controversy centers on the Children of Faith Parade, which, since 1979, has concluded its annual celebration with the raising of a Christian flag at Jersey City Hall. But in 2025, organizers were informed by Jersey City that the tradition could no longer continue because city officials believed it would violate the Constitution and that the city “cannot be seen to endorse any particular religion.”

But Liberty Counsel, which represents the Children of Faith Parade, sent a letter to Jersey City arguing that denying the group permission to raise its flag would violate both the U.S. Constitution and Supreme Court precedent.

Liberty Counsel noted that the city has permitted numerous other groups to ceremonially raise their own flags at city hall, including those representing the Jersey City LGBTQ+ Pride Festival and the Palestinian American community.

If Jersey City permits those and other groups to raise their flags, Liberty Counsel argued, then it must extend the same opportunity to the Children of Faith Parade and its Christian flag.

The organization pointed to a similar case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022, when the justices unanimously ruled that the city of Boston violated the free speech rights of a faith-based group by refusing to fly its Christian flag while approving flag-raising requests from numerous other organizations.

Boston had “violated the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment,” the court ruled.

Liberty Counsel represented the faith-based group in that Boston case.

After Liberty Counsel contacted Jersey City, the city reversed its position and agreed to allow the Christian flag-raising ceremony to proceed.

“We commend Jersey City officials for making the right decision to grant the Christian flag-raising permit for the Children of Faith Parade,” said Liberty Counsel founder and chairman Mat Staver. “Jersey City had stated that raising the Christian flag in their public forum would violate the Establishment Clause, but it does not. The opposite is true. Denying the right to raise the Christian flag in a public forum is the actual First Amendment violation. The clear message from the U.S. Supreme Court is that the government cannot favor one viewpoint and censor another in a public forum. Municipalities like Jersey City can legally permit both secular and religious commemorative emblems when they open their flagpoles to public expression.”

7 Stories Include Air Cadet, Bishop, Diocese, etc., on Today's USA PnP List

Cadet praised for rape prevention - charged

with sex assault on man

© U.S. Air Force / Reuters

An Air Force Academy cadet, praised for his work with rape prevention programs, could be court martialled and jailed for up to 20 years if convicted of sexually assaulting another man.

Prosecutors told the court Wednesday that senior cadet Steven Fox sexually assaulted another man he took as a date to an academy dance in 2015. It’s alleged that Fox penetrated the Colorado Springs man with his finger before rubbing against him for sexual gratification, The Gazette reports.

Fox’s defense say that the cadet’s actions were consensual and that he and the alleged victim, a student at the University of Colorado, were dating at the time.

This is the first case of its kind for the academy since the military lifted its ban on gay people serving in the armed forces in 2011. Until then any homosexual acts involving a serving member could have resulted in a court martial.

Fox was known for his work trying to get male victims of sexual assault to report their experiences of abuse. The Department of Defense has said that thousands of male service members are assaulted every year but only a small percentage come forward.

“[About] 10,800 men are sexually assaulted every year in the military,” Russell Strand, a retired Criminal Investigative Service special agent, said in 2015. “[Roughly] 8,000 women are assaulted.”

However only a fraction of those assaulted report their ordeal, roughly 13 percent, according to Strand, pointing out that the fear of being ostracized, misunderstood or not being believed contribute to this low percentage.

Psychologist and researcher Jim Hopper echoed these sentiments. “There’s fear of those memories, there’s fear of being violated, there’s fear that someone might know what happened to them.”

He added that many victims feel that if they report assaults they feel as though their military career would be finished as a result.

There is a genuine fear of being labelled a victim, unable to stand up for yourself.

Diocese names board to oversee clergy 

child sex abuse allegations

By The Associated Press

PITTSBURGH -- The Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown  has appointed a five-member board to oversee its handling of child sex abuse allegations against clergy as part of an agreement with the federal prosecutor who oversees western Pennsylvania.

Acting U.S. Attorney Soo Song announced the agreement in March with Altoona-Johnstown Bishop Mark Bartchak after a state grand jury alleged a decades-long abuse cover-up. Song's predecessor had threatened to sue the eight-county central Pennsylvania diocese under a federal racketeering statute if reforms weren't enacted.

Song and Bartchak on Thursday announced the names of the board members.

The board will be chaired by James W. Brown, former chief of staff to Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and his father, Democratic former Gov. Bob Casey. The other members are Walter "Pete" Carson, a former state police investigator; Eileen Dombo, a professor and assistant dean at The Catholic University of America; Mary Herwig, an abuse victim turned advocate; and J. Alan Johnson, a former U.S. attorney who is perhaps best known for his prosecution of cocaine trafficking in Major League Baseball in an investigation that centered on the Pittsburgh Pirates clubhouse in the 1980s.

The reform agreement also required the church to hire an outside expert to develop a new sex abuse prevention program for its priests, which it already has done.

Sex abuse prevention for existing priests is good although, for some, it will be like shadow-boxing. Some have entered the priesthood, I believe, just for easy access to children. These people will be hard, if not impossible, to change. It is also likely that the program does not address the issue of hiring pedophiles in the first place.

Song has said Bartchak and the diocese worked with her office on the reforms. The collaboration is similar to those undertaken in other U.S. dioceses, though that was usually in partnership with state prosecutors.

A year ago, Pennsylvania's attorney general issued a scathing grand jury report detailing abuse by more than 50 priests and other clergy against hundreds of children going back decades while the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese was under different leadership. The grand jury did not accuse Bartchak of wrongdoing but found "the purge of predators is taking too long."

Allegations of rape, abuse and cover ups are nothing new for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown.

See also: Pennsylvania Priest Gets 16 Years in Prison for Child Sex Abuse

Two Bishops Hid Sex Abuse of Hundreds of Children

The diocese seated in Altoona, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) east of Pittsburgh, is home to nearly 100,000 Catholics.

Under the Song-Bartchak agreement, the diocese must report credible abuse allegations to law enforcement within 12 hours, immediately take accused priests out of positions where they have contact with minors and place them on leave within 24 hours.

The diocese is also publishing the names, photos and assignments of diocesan priests who are subject to credible allegations, so the public knows who they are.

Tennessee man found guilty on

38 counts of sex offenses against a child

BY ERYN TAYLOR

US Department of Justice

LAUDERDALE COUNTY, Tenn. — A Lauderdale County jury has returned guilty verdicts on all 38 counts against a defendant accused of raping a young child.

Kennedy D. Williams was charged with eight counts of child rape, three counts of rape, eight counts of aggravated sexual battery, 11 counts of incest, three counts of statutory rape, three counts of aggravated statutory rape and two counts of violating the Sex Offender Registry Act.

During the three-day trial, prosecutors stated the abuse began in 2013 and continued for the next three years.

But that wasn’t the only time Williams has been in trouble with the law. He was convicted for first-degree sexual assault of a child in 1991 and second-degree sexual assault in 1989. Both convictions were from Dane County, Wisconsin.

Sentencing for the most recent case is scheduled for October 5.

The minimum sentence for only one count of child rape is 25 years. Williams was convicted of eight.

And, Judge, I don't want to see any of this 'concurrent' sentencing! Lock this pervert up and throw away the key. He doesn't deserve another chance and his victims don't deserve to ever have to fear seeing him again for the rest of their lives.

Lauderdale Co., TN

Pennsylvania man arrested for child sexual abuse

By Myles Snyder, ABC27 News

LANCASTER, Pa. (WHTM) – A Lancaster man is accused of sexually abusing a child for several months.

Derek Lee Parrett, 33, is charged with felony counts of aggravated indecent assault of a child, unlawful contact with a minor, indecent assault of a child, corruption of minors, and endangering the welfare of children.

Manheim Township police said Parrett had ongoing sexual contact with a child from February to April. They said the abuse was discovered after the child told their mother about the abuse.

Parrett was arrested and sent to Lancaster County Prison on $200,000 cash bail.

Plea Deal in Iowa Child Sexual Abuse Case

BY KELLY MARICLE

ADEL, Iowa — A West Des Moines man has changed his plea to guilty in a sexual abuse case involving a child.

Twenty-two-year-old Jesse Taggart entered a guilty plea last week to one count of lascivious acts with a child, a Class C felony. He had originally been charged with second degree sexual abuse, indecent exposure, and dissemination and exhibition of obscene material to a minor.

Prosecutors say in May, Taggart committed a sex act on a female victim under the age of 12, exposed himself, and showed her pornographic videos while at a residence in Perry.

Taggart is scheduled to be sentenced on October 27th. He is being held in the Dallas County Jail.

Fugitive wanted in Tenn. on child sex abuse charges captured in Kentucky

WBIR 

A New Tazewell fugitive with an active warrant is behind bars again months after fleeing Tennessee.

Kentucky authorities have been searching for 53-year-old Rick James Brock since June 2017 after he disappeared from Tennessee before his trial for multiple child sex abuse charges. Troopers said Tennessee authorities notified them to be on the look-out for Brock for multiple counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child.

Kentucky troopers captured him Wednesday evening in Harlan County after receiving a tip from a local business.

After his original arrest in 2016, Brock was charged with six counts of child rape and four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in a case in Claiborne County. Three months after he was extradited back to Tennessee to answer to the charges, Brock posted a half-million dollar bond and hadn't been heard from since.

In January 2016, TBI added Brock to their Top Ten Most Wanted List before U.S. Marshals captured him in Laurel County, Kentucky at his brother's home in London.

Brock is being held at the Harlan County Detention Center. 

Minn. Bishop Settles Civil Lawsuit Alleging Coverup of Child Sexual Abuse

by Anita Carey  •  ChurchMilitant.com  

CROOKSTON, Minn. - A Minnesota bishop has settled a civil lawsuit against him for allegedly covering up a claim of sexual abuse from 1971.

Ron Vasek filed a first of its kind personal injury lawsuit against Bp. Michael J. Hoeppner of the diocese of Crookston on May 9, claiming that Hoeppner pressured Vasek to sign a letter recanting his story of sexual abuse in the diocese by refusing to ordain him a deacon and hurting his son's priestly career.

In a statement released Wednesday, the diocese of Crookston explains the settlement "avoids costly attorney fees and a drawn-out legal process." They also assert that diocesan funds were not used to pay the settlement nor does it mean the Bp. Hoeppner has admitted to any illegal activity or wrongdoing.

No, of course not! He just paid him out of the goodness of his heart. He may not legally acknowledge any wrongdoing, but he will one day stand in a higher court where the truth cannot be hidden.

Bishop Hoeppner has consistently denied the allegations of Vasek. In a statement from May, Bp. Hoeppner states, "I, your bishop, deny that I'm in any way forced, coerced or encouraged Mr. Vasek to not pursue making allegations against [his abuser]."

Vasek claims he was molested at age 16 by Msgr. Roger Grundhaus, a priest of the diocese, in 1971 during a trip to Cincinnati, Ohio. Jeff Anderson, Vasek's lawyer, said at a press conference in May, Vasek did not speak of his abuse until he was in the process of becoming a permanent deacon in 2009 or 2010.  Anderson says Vasek told another priest, who reported the incident to his vicar general who then contacted Bp. Hoeppner.

Anderson alleges Bp. Hoeppner contacted Vasek during that time, urging him to keep the accusations against Msgr. Grundhaus quiet. Anderson also alleges that Vasek claims to have been blackmailed by Hoeppner in 2015.

Vasek said, "I was told, 'If news of this scandal came out about Grundhaus, how could I ever ordain you? Where could I put you? Who would take you?'" Vasek then alleges Hoeppner said, "It could be difficult for your son who is a priest in our diocese."

While these statements could be construed as either a concerned warning or a threat, Vasek reports, "I knew then I was being blackmailed," explaining he signed a letter, recanting the accusations "to protect my son because I knew how evil a man the bishop could be if he wanted to be."  

The diocese statement after the lawsuit "categorically denies" the claims and notes, "Mr. Vasek's allegations of abuse regarding Msgr. Grundhaus were reported to law enforcement in 2011."  It also notes that Msgr. Grundhaus has been retired since 2010 and is "currently suspended from active ministry."

Vasek is represented by Jeff Anderson and Associates. Their website says they have represented thousands of victims of childhood sexual abuse and claim, "As pioneers of child protection through civil litigation, we are aggressively committed to this cause."

Jeff Anderson and Associates won a lawsuit against the diocese of Crookston in 2014 that forces it to publicly name any priest who has had credible accusations of abuse. They are also currently pursuing litigation against St. John's Abbey in Minnesota, recently settling 17 cases and naming three additional priests to the list of sexual abusers.

In a separate hearing on Wednesday, Vasek will ask the court to sanction the diocese for failing to produce Msgr. Grunhaus' file in 2015. Bishop Hoeppner and the diocese will ask for Vasek's charges of public nuisance and negligence to be dismissed.

Bishop Hoeppner asks for continued prayers for a "fair, just and timely" resolution, adding that Catholics of his diocese join him "in making each Friday a day of fasting and abstinence from eating meat as a sign that we know our most important sustenance comes from our loving God."