Family Research Council President Tony Perkins made the following comments:

"The mayor made it quite clear throughout the entire 'bathroom bill' debate-that she'll use her bully pulpit to bully pulpits across Houston. Despite reports yesterday, the mayor's office has not withdrawn the subpoenas. The city may eventually backpedal on a narrow portion of the subpoena dealing with sermons, but are still demanding pastors' emails and other private communications.

"Pastors not only have the right to speak to the moral issues of the day—but an obligation to do so. The pulpit is to be governed only by the Word of God, and the chilling effect of government scrutiny of our pastors is unconstitutional, and unconscionable. Mayor Parker's use of her bully pulpit to silence pulpit freedom must be stopped in its tracks.

"Family Research Council, and the more than 25,000 people who have signed our petition in the last 24 hours, stand with the Houston pastors and their churches, and call on Mayor Parker to immediately retract these demands and issue a clear statement in support of the free speech of all people," concluded Perkins.

The petition can be accessed at www.frc.org/Houston

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