**A California church embroiled in legal battle with Biden administration and California officials after losing federal food funding due to traditional religious beliefs on gender and sexuality. The Church of Compassion’s vital food program for low-income students now hangs in the balance, victim to a political agenda set on discriminating against the faithful.**
For almost two decades, The Church of Compassion in El Cajon, California has been involved in the USDA’s Child and Adult Food Care Program. This assistance provided the church’s Dayspring Learning Center preschool with crucial monthly funds, ranging from $3,500 to $4,500, to help cover food expenses for disadvantaged students. However, recent government mandates seek to discriminate against houses of worship upholding traditional beliefs on human sexuality, preventing them from participating in this vital program.
In October, the California Department of Social Services warned the church that its participation in the federal food program would come to an end if it did not conform to a nondiscrimination policy. This policy enforces all employees to pledge adherence to a handbook disavowing “lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender lifestyles.” Consequently, the funding was revoked in December due to the program’s refusal to comply with the “‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender identity’ nondiscrimination provisions.”
Despite these allegations, the Church of Compassion’s preschool serves all families without discrimination, including those who identify as LGBTQ+. However, with the assistance of Alliance Defending Freedom, the church filed a lawsuit accusing the USDA and the California Department of Social Services of violating their free exercise and free speech rights. ADF stated that “hungry kids should matter more than a political agenda,” highlighting the government’s misguided focus on discrimination at the expense of the community’s needy children.
The Christian legal advocacy group condemned the government’s actions, as the revoking of funds harms vulnerable families and is in
