While some states are actively opposing orders from the White House, other states are falling in line.

It didn’t take but a moment for President Donald Trump, upon officially entering office January 20, to directly combat what many refer to as “woke ideology.” Whether it be LGBT-related activism, the push for abortion, or the enforcement of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) measures, Trump has sought to undo much of what the previous administration put in place.

Perhaps most notably are his efforts to take down policies, initiatives, and rules that forced Americans to submit to transgender ideology and other LGBT-specific agendas. “Preferred pronouns,” for instance, are not merely something Trump has aimed at limiting. Within federal government, he required all employees to immediately remove their “preferred pronouns” from their emails and cease to use them going forward. And while many of the president’s executive orders have received their fair share of pushback, it’s evident that countless Americans, and many state legislatures, are on board with these changes.

An example of this would be a bill that was recently enacted in Wyoming. SF 0077, which officially goes into effect July 1, protects teachers, professors, and other public employees from being forced to use inaccurate pronouns if it violates their conscience and deeply held beliefs. While some left-wing voices have deemed acts such as these as “attacks” on LGBT-identifying people, the Wyoming Legislature sees it differently. “Compelled speech is not free speech,” the legislation states.

State Senator Lynn Hutchings (R), who sponsored a similar bill this time last year as well as SF 0077, had previously explained how “you can’t force someone to call someone by their preferred pronouns. It’s an infringement of freedom of speech.” Fast forward to 2025, as well as to brand-new leadership in the White House, and the same argument is being proclaimed. Only this time, it’s being followed by legislative action.

As Matt Sharp, director of the Alliance Defending Freedom’s Center for Public Policy, said of the enactment, “No one should lose their job or face punishment at work for declining to say something they believe is false” — which has been the case in a number of states. “Words and language carry meaning,” he added, “and when used properly, they communicate truth about the world.” As such, “forcing individuals to say things that are false — such as inaccurate pronouns — imposes real harm on the speaker.”

Ultimately, Sharp emphasized that “in no world is it acceptable for the government to force good educators or other public servants out of a job all for the sake of promoting gender ideology. With this legislation, Wyoming is rightfully stepping into the gap to protect freedom of conscience. ADF commends Sen. Lynn Hutchings for her leadership and the Wyoming Legislature for enacting this legislation into law.” As Sharp explained, “Freedom of speech and religion includes the freedom not to endorse messages contrary to one’s core beliefs, and protecting these essential pillars of freedom benefits all of society.”

Family Research Council’s David Closson, director of the Center for Biblical Worldview, also weighed in with a comment to The Washington Stand. “Our law is inherently pedagogical,” he said, “meaning that they serve as a tutor in helping people understand what is right and wrong. As Christians, we want our positive law to accord with the eternal law of God.” With this in mind, “the most recent legislation passed in the Wyoming state legislature is legislation that a prior generation of lawmakers would have found perplexing,” namely because “there has never been a time in human history when the logic of transgenderism was accepted by a growing percentage of the population.”

“However,” he continued, “in the brave new world of 2025, legislation like SF 0077 is necessary, because no one should be forced to say something that they don’t want to. If free speech means anything, it means freedom to not be coerced into going along with an ideology that is untethered from reality.”

“Christians should support any legislation that coheres with the creation order,” Closson concluded. “We know from Genesis 1 and 2 that God created only two sexes, and it is unquestionably immoral to insist on forcing someone to affirm something that is demonstrably false, and that goes contrary to their worldview.”