Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey - Ep 1001 | Christian Bridal Designer vs. LGBTQ Mafia | Guest: Dominique Galbraith

Episode Date: May 13, 2024

Today, we sit down with bridal designer Dominique Galbraith, who made headlines in 2019 for refusing to design a wedding dress for a lesbian couple due to her Christian faith. We ask Dominique about the legal action taken since then, her testimony and Christian faith, and the backlash she has faced since taking a stand. You can support Dominique's legal defense here: https://www.givesendgo.com/Domg1stAmendmentfight Dominique's website: https://www.thebplife.net/ --- Timecodes: (01:28) Dominique's fashion beginnings (04:00) Same-sex wedding request (07:35) Dominique’s response (11:34) Backlash & focus on race (26:20) Christians pushing back against Dominique (31:06) Legal action against Dominique (41:02) Dominique’s testimony --- Today's Sponsors: Seven Weeks Coffee — try Seven Weeks Coffee today at SevenWeeksCoffee.com and use the promo code: ALLIE to save 10% off your order. Good Ranchers — Change the way you buy meat today at GoodRanchers.com with code ALLIE to claim your free burgers for a year, get 100% American meat delivered, and support veterans this Memorial Day season.  A’del — try A'del's hand-crafted, artisan, small-batch cosmetics and use promo code ALLIE 25% off your first time purchase at AdelNaturalCosmetics.com Jase Medical — get up to a year’s worth of many of your prescription medications delivered in advance. Go to JaseMedical.com today and use promo code “ALLIE". --- Relevant Episodes: Ep 13 | Two Gay Men + a Christian Baker Walk Into a Courtroom https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/relatable-with-allie-beth-stuckey/id1359249098?i=1000413171727 Ep 303 | Trump vs. Biden 2020: Foreign Policy https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/relatable-with-allie-beth-stuckey/id1359249098?i=1000491964251 Ep 719 | Christians v. the State of Colorado...Again https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/relatable-with-allie-beth-stuckey/id1359249098?i=1000589107658 --- Buy Allie's book, You're Not Enough (& That's Okay): Escaping the Toxic Culture of Self-Love: https://alliebethstuckey.com/book Relatable merchandise – use promo code 'ALLIE10' for a discount: https://shop.blazemedia.com/collections/allie-stuckey

The Human Rights Division of the state of New York is targeting a Christian fashion designer Dominique Galbriath for refusing to make a wedding garment for a woman in a same-sex relationship for her ceremony. She is such a strong woman of God. Her testimony is incredible. Her strength, her boldness is so admirable. You are going to be so encouraged by her story that she's sharing. on the show today and just her testimony of faith in God and all that God is doing through her bravery. This episode is brought to you by our friends at Good Ranchers. Go to Good Ranchers.com. Use code Allie and check out. That's goodmanters.com code Alley. Dominique, thanks so much for joining us. Could you tell everyone who you are and what you do? Sure. My name is Dominique Galbraith.

I am first and foremost a believer in Christ Jesus. I'm a wife, a mom. A mom. And then after all of that, I'm an entrepreneur. I do fashion design. I do business consulting. I do content creation and production with my husband. I do a lot. Yeah. Tell us a little bit about your story and becoming a fashion designer.

Sure. So I started when I was 17, but I always knew that I wanted to design. Like, always. Like, I tell this joke that I was designing my mother's ambyllical cord while I was in the womb. Yeah, it goes that far back. Yeah, that far back. So it was like, I always knew that it's what I wanted to do. So when I turned 17, I got $300 for my birthday, and I bought a song machine.

And so I bought a sewing machine and just taught myself how to sew, and I would make stuff to wear the parties. And people would say, where did you get that? And I'm like, well, I made it. So they're like, well, make me one. And then boom, I had a business. Wow. So in 2006. I was in college and I'm just like, I'm just going to drop out and do this fashion thing.

So I had like an ex-boyfriend at the time and he's like, I'll open a store for you. And I'm like, all right. It was kind of like more like a partnership thing. So that was 2006. I was like 21 running the store. Didn't know what I was doing. Yeah. From there, you know, just grew and grew.

And I'm like, okay, I really want to have a brand, not just be like a local dressmaker. And so grew from there, started dressing. celebrities and then I had a brand. Yeah. So 2018, I'm a mom. I'm married and I'm like, God, this business thing and these kids, like, this is too much. It is not working how it was supposed to work. We got to fix this because I'm like running ragged.

What do I do? Right. And so I felt strongly led by God to focus on bridle. Okay. This is 2018, you said. 2018. Okay. And so I'm like, okay.

And I just kept hearing it because I'm like, God, I need to figure out how to do all of this. And I kept hearing bridal, bridle, bridle. So I'm like, okay, I think God wants me to focus on bridle. Before then, I was doing mainly like special occasion dresses. And so I'm like, okay, I'm going to start making wedding gowns and promoting bridal. And that's what I did. and it worked. You know, the business started to do better.

It went through like a really rough season. And then I was having a rough time balancing, you know, motherhood and being a wife and running a business. Yeah. So, you know, bridle, it just, it clicked. And then 2019, you know, things are running and I'm making these wedding gowns. And then I get an email. And that email was a real. request for a wedding jumpsuit and that jumpsuit was for a same-sex wedding. So I was faced with the decision.

Do I take the money and just turn the blind eye to what I know is against my belief as a Christian? And let me correct myself. It's not just my belief as a Christian. It is a part of the Christian faith that marriage is between man and a woman. So this is the way of Christ. This is the word of God. And so do I just do business as usual and turn a blind eye to what is right?

And I knew that I couldn't because I knew what it was for. And at that point in my business, I was hands-on on every garment that was made, right? And so I would knowingly be creating a garment for what is against my faith, what is against God. And so Jesus says count the cost, right? And so I counted the cost. I'm sitting there. I'm just like, well, girl, you could take, you could just take this money and just, you know. But I counted the cost in knowing that saying no, because that was going to be the decision, period.

In saying no that that comes with backlash, you're in New York. The LGBTQ is powerful, though they're not more powerful than God. and you're going to face rejection. You could possibly lose your business. You could possibly lose customers who believe that you're discriminating. And I realized, and it's interesting, because years up until that point, I was really focused a lot of times, like in my private study on persecution and how as Christians we are to expect that.

but in America, you know, we hadn't had to face that. And so God was already preparing me, preparing my heart for that. And so for me, facing what could be the backlash and knowing like, no, we're called to this. Right. So I sent them an email. I responded. I responded to their email rather. she was really asking about

she was really asking about like a payment plan for you know the garment it's a garment that I had on my site so I'm like which let me clear that up right because people are just like well it's on your site you know it's not custom no it has to be made in her size that's custom right at least for my business

and so I responded I shared with them that know, I can't make this garment. I shared with them why. I shared my faith. I also encouraged them to reconsider. Now, some may say, like, girl, you didn't have to go that far, but I'm a Christian. And, and, and I'm a minister of the gospel, right? And so I just kept it on it. And I said, look, this is what it is. And I can't do it, you know, and I'm open to having conversations about you know, my beliefs. And yeah, that was it. And here's, here's your full response. So they wanted to, as you said, inquire about a payment plan for a $1,500 jump suit for their wedding. And you said this.

Very kind response, but definitely to the point. Hi, Tiffany. Thank you for reaching out. I apologize for the late response. Yes, we accept payments 50% up front and the remaining balance upon completion. However, I wouldn't be able to make a peace for a same-sex wedding. It goes against my faith in Christ. I believe Jesus died for our sins so that we would live for him according to His Holy Word. I know you both love each other and that this feels right, but I encourage you to both and see what the Lord has to say and the wonderful things he has in store for you both if you trust and obey him. God bless and be with you both.

I'm available to talk and share more about Jesus if you'd like. Feel free to call me. Good for you. I mean, you were like, I'm not just going to say no, but I'm going to share the gospel. because the Word of God does not return void and you planted a seed. I'm sure, though, that their response wasn't, yay, this is awesome.

To be honest, let me just put it all out there, right? To be honest, I think that so the law firm that they hired, you know, to come after me, they seem to be most angry that I shared the guys. gospel that I spoke the truth. That seemed to be the biggest thorn in their side. And I don't regret it.

Because it's the word of God. It's the word of God. Like that we need the word. The word formed the earth. Right? God spoke and said, you know, let there be light. Let there be light. Let there be life. So I don't regret it. But yeah, that seemed to be the thorn. Yeah. So what was their response? What happened right after this? A few weeks later, I would say about two weeks or so after that.

I'm like on Instagram and I get these wild notifications. and, you know, it was this hoopla, you know, media outlets started reaching out to me for comment, and I'm like, I don't know what to do. So I got some legal advice, and that was to not say anything. Don't talk to the media, just not say anything. So that's what I did. Because they had posted screenshots of your email to Facebook. Yeah.

Did they respond to your email directly? They didn't. They didn't. They didn't respond. So they just posted the screenshots to Facebook, and they basically said, look at this awful bigot we're being discriminated against. Yeah.

Oh, and they, ooh, they were nasty on Facebook. Like the penis, it was a whole mess. It was. Yeah. She said, the only thing, this is the, I guess the person's partner, Angel Lane, said the only thing I wanted was a beautiful dress or jumpsuit for my big day and encountered discrimination from a woman of color. and the process of doing so,

they seem to be even more shocked that a woman of color would have the stance that you do as a Christian, which is interesting that they decided to point that out. That's the other thorn, that because I'm black and because I'm a black woman, that I need to align with the LGBTQ. And I'm insulted by that.

Because the thought is that racism in America, America and what the LGBTQ has experienced in America are the same. And they are not. They're not. It's not a sin to be black. It's not a sin to be black. It is a sin to be gay, period. According to the Word of God,

what black Americans have faced in this country is not ever to be compared to what the LGBTQ think they have faced. That's not discrimination. When people like me stand up and say, look, this is wrong in the sight of God, that's not hate, but that's actually love because we're telling you the truth. And so to use,

because what they have been doing is piggybacking off of the struggle of black Americans. And this is something that's very near and dear to my heart. what they've been doing is piggybacking off of the struggle of black Americans in this country to advance their agenda. I'm not okay with that. And so for them to point out that because I'm a black woman, because I'm a black woman, I'm a Christian first. I'm Jesus first. And because of that, if being black means I have to side with this, I don't even, how did this even come about?

because the black America that I know of was rooted in Christ. It was Christ. It was belief and faith in Jesus Christ that got black Americans to where they are now. You're talking about, think about Booker T. Washington up from slavery. He didn't pull himself up by his own power. That was through belief and faith in Jesus Christ. how did how did black Americans come out of slavery and was able to buy land, start businesses?

That's the part of American history that they don't ever tell you. And so for me, I'm insulted by that. Yeah. And I'll tell anybody plainly, like, as a black, don't bring that up. Yeah. Don't come. I'm not the one for that one. Right.

I ain't the one because I'll tell you. Yeah. Christ first, period. And if you want to kick me out, I'm, take a, my black card have it. Yeah. I'm good. Christians totally do get duped by that because you're right. They do piggyback off of the civil rights movement to say that our oppression quote unquote is the same thing as a black person's oppression. We have basically parallel history to black America. And if you are going to treat black people equally, then that means that you have to give us the same kind of

treatment. But you're right. They don't, they don't see obviously homosexuality or transgenderism as a sin. They see it as their immutable identity in the same way that someone's ethnicity is. And that's where they're wrong. And that's where Christianity speaks in and say, you know, that's not what we're defined by. That's not your identity. That is a behavior that God actually condemns. Right. But the world, being as deluded and deceived as they are, can't see the difference. and it is such an effective manipulation tactic that I see even Christians falling for because they want to love the oppressed, they think that they have to accept and affirm sin. And it's just not true.

You don't love speaks the truth, period. Like, Jesus is His Word. So you're not preaching the gospel. You're not carrying out your assignment as a Christian if you're denying the truth. if you're telling people to accept Jesus Christ, right, to give their lives to Christ, to turn to Jesus, you have to turn from something. So what are they turning from? There's no dancing around the sin issue.

There's no walking away from that. There's no avoiding that conversation when you're sharing Christ. Yeah. Right? And so I'm just like, look, Christians have really like, we got to get over this whole like, I don't want to be called a name. I don't want them to call me. Yeah.

Like, come on. What would they call in Jesus? Like, who do you think you are? Right, right. That's, that's, that's, that's the flesh. And this, this whole upset, this obsession with wanting to be seen as an intellectual, wanting to be seen as like, oh, I don't want to be seen as a racist. Because now if you speak against homosexuality, all of a sudden that's somehow racist.

It's all lumped in together. And I'm like, look, the devil. is a liar. Confront the lie and stop being afraid of a name. Yeah. Because it's not, it's really driving this country. Yeah. To hell.

Yeah. And you felt like making this jumpsuit would have been an affirmation and celebration of what God calls sin. Absolutely. Yeah. By me, my making it is a cosine. And I would challenge Christians who, would be like, oh, you know, I would go to a gay wedding or, you know, I would have made the jump suit. And I'm just like, okay, what if you're the only Christian? What if you're the only Christian? What if you're the only person who walks in truth, right? That that person knows. Yeah. And you as the only person that walks in truth gives a cosine. You're a representative of Christ. And you give a cosine. And you give a cosine.

And you're the only Christian that they know or the only Christian they encounter. What chance does that person have to hear the truth? Mm-hmm. Because you don't want to offend, but you're okay with offending God. Yeah. Yeah. So I'm just like, I'm afraid that we just don't take sin seriously enough. Like if we really believed what God's word says about that sin kills us, all of us,

that it's an abomination beforehand, that it's offensive to him. If we really cared about the holiness of God and the damage that sin causes someone both physically and spiritually, I don't think that we would equivocate on this. I don't think that we would be going to a ceremony to celebrate what God calls sin, what God calls iniquity. If we really took him out his word and if we really knew the gravity of sin, I don't think that this would be hard. but really what it comes down to is that a lot of us, even people who identify as Christians, don't really think sin is that big of a deal. And that's where I think Satan comes in and has deceived us that sin just isn't that big of a deal. Right.

Yeah. And I think sometimes, like, we, it's interesting because, like, American Christianity, like, we're big on this grace thing now, you know, grace, grace, grace, and we're just like, and on the opposite side of that, I also see people who, lean on grace, they don't lean on it for themselves. And what I mean by that is that I believe that there are some Christians who will not speak up on something like this, who are afraid to speak truth because of sin that that's in their lives. That a lot of Christians are battling with sin in their lives.

You know, they haven't forgiven themselves or they haven't accepted the finished work of the cross and know that, repent, repent, turn to God, lean on God like, he'll forgive you. you. But that's no reason to say, okay, well, because I have sin in my life, or because I know what I did yesterday, because I know what I did last night, I have no right to speak on that. I have no right to speak truth. And that's a lie. So the enemy, he's working on all sides, right? Like keeping some people in this place of guilt, in this place of, well, who am I to judge? No, speak the truth. And speak it in love. Yeah. But speak the truth. Love. Love. is not silent. Yeah. And it is grace that saves us and grace is important, but it's supposed to

compel us to obey and compel us to live holy lives empowered by Christ, compel us to speak the truth. And there is a way to speak the truth without being hypocritical, without being mean about it, but speaking the truth isn't judgmental in and of itself. It is simply doing what God has called us to do. And we can do that with humility. Saying that something to sin is not saying that I've never sin. It's just saying, hey, I love you so much. And God says that sin is going to kill us. I don't want you to be ruled by this sin anymore, which I got from your email to them. That's, I mean, that's how it was communicated to me that like, hey, God loves you so much and he wants better for you, right? Yeah. But they didn't take that well. So they post it on Facebook about

this. And then you started getting notifications. So tell me a little bit. bit more about that, about what you saw, what the response was, and what was going through your mind? Yeah, it was just, it was a world when, like, people were calling me saying crazy things. Like calling your business, calling you names. Calling me names. There were some calls of support, though. In emails, there was a very racist call that I got. And it really just exposes how some, I won't say all, within the LGBTQ, within the leftist movement, see black people as their tools and, and there I say slaves, ideological slaves, because there was a man who called me and he said, I should have stayed on the phone a little longer. he was like how many

N words he said the word how many N words da da da da and I was like if I had pearls I would have clutched them like how dare you

excuse me so I hung up the phone but what I got was that he was saying how many N words or black people went through a struggle

went through a struggle that he aligns with the LGBTQ and he thinks that because of that, like we were saying a bit earlier, that I shouldn't have made a decision that I've made. Yeah. But in his, in his idea that, okay, LGBTQ struggle and black American struggle is the same

that, oh gosh, I almost lost my thought. He was saying, but you should be on board and you should support it. Right. But in his racism just, it showed itself. He totally belittled you and objectified you. And like you said,

sees you as a tool to advance his own political agenda. Rather than as a human that has your own worldview and can exercise it. Right. Because I'm like, oh, so now I'm the N-word because I don't align with your belief. Now I'm the N-word. Maybe I was always the N-word to you. And because I'm being a disobedience slave. slave I ain't nobody slave except Christ

you know he lashed out it's like his demon manifested basically yeah so what's going through your head I mean I know that you're strong in your faith and even before that as you said God had been preparing for you which I just love that you had been reading about persecution and you didn't even know God was getting you ready because scripture does say all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted It doesn't all look the same, but we will all endure some kind of persecution for our faith. And so it's come for you. And I know that you had already counted the cost, but was there ever a moment during this backlash that you were like, what did I do?

I'll tell you the truth. I didn't have, even with the calls and the harassment and everything, the what did I do part did not come until other Christians. started saying, what were you thinking? Why did you do that? And like, oh, don't you know that the LGBTQ has power in America? And I'm like, well, who are you serving though?

Like, what Bible you read it? Like, why would you even say that to me? But that, it wasn't until I started getting those responses from Christians that made me question. Because some of these people were people that, you know, I look up to, I highly regard, you know, and they're like, well, that was foolish. That wasn't wise. Yeah, I've been there. That's hard. That is absolutely when it gets hard. Yeah. Because, like, you expect it. They're going to do what they're going to do.

The world is going to do what it's going to do because they're serving that master. Right. But for Christians, it took me, because this is 2019, right? It took me. a long time to get over that response from Christians and to just get to a place where I'm just like, look, this is what God has called me to. If you don't understand that, whatever. But, you know, it took me a while to get past that, honestly. It was hard. That is the hardest part of just Christians who, and even if you don't agree.

Yeah. Right? Like, I'm your sister in Christ. Why would you not still support me as your sister in Christ? Like, who are you serving? Yeah. You know? I really, really think, honestly, a lot of the questioning that I got really came from a place of this.

idolatry of security, of financial security, because a lot of the response of Christians questioning me was just like, why would you jeopardize the bag? Why would you mess with your money like that? Like, you know, like, oh, you're not afraid to lose your business? No, I'm not. I'm not. So, and I'm just like, if, but if you weren't so obsessed, if you didn't, if you understood Matthew 633,

seek first the kingdom and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto these. you would first and foremost know that I'm good. I will be good. Right? He'll take care of you. He'll take care of me, period. And so just this, it really for, it seemed to have come from this place of just like, don't, yeah, follow Jesus as long as it doesn't mess with your money.

As long as it doesn't mess with your security. As long as it doesn't mess with your safety. Yeah. As long as it doesn't get hard. As long as it doesn't get hard. And I'm like, look, y'all better wake. up because this is not what this country is anymore. Yeah. So you were in New York. These women were not New York. They were in, they were in Missouri, right?

Right. And yet they said, we're going to file legal action. We're going to pursue legal action against you. What did that look like? A whole mess. Because the human rights division in New York, the human rights division in New York, is for the oppressed, so they say. Quote unquote. For the oppressed. It's to protect the oppressed. I don't agree with that.

I think that's a cover. Because right out, it just seemed like, no, this is not about your rights. This is about a protected class. They consider the LGBTQ, this is in their writings, as a protected class. that's their agenda. That's what the human rights division is there for to protect their protected class. So it was just this process, you know,

going through the court system and just a mess. Yeah. And then they decided like I should pay the state $20,000 and pay the couple $5,000. Yeah. Okay. So the summary, according to the New York Division of Human Rights, the court order says in September 2023, the commissioner of the New York State Division of Human Rights ordered Dominique Galbraith to pay $25,000 for discrimination by refusing to make the garment. $20,000 was to be paid for civil fines and penalties and $5,000 in emotional distress damages.

So their opinion says the conduct is as much unlawful as it was. would be for the respondent to refuse to produce the clothing for a wedding between two people of different races or ethnicity. So again, you've got them conflating those two things. So what has happened since then? Did you pay the $25,000? What does that look like? To be very honest, no, I haven't paid them. I am trying my very best. I feel like I'm swinging at a giant. Yeah. But call me David. Yeah, yeah. But I'm trying my very best to fight back.

That requires a ton of money. That, yeah, I'm just like, you know, I believe that I believe by the spirit of God that it's not over. But I need help. You know, I do have a fundraiser, but it's going to, it requires a lot of money. I need a lawyer. I don't have a lawyer because that requires money. Wow. Business has been terrible, like terribly slow, unlike un-commonly slow. Just ridiculous. So I've been through it.

Yeah. But by the grace of God, I'm not backing down. Yeah. And so, yeah. So somehow you're fighting against this and you don't have legal representation yet. No. Have you reached out to like Alliance to Finney Free? freedom or? I have. Okay. I have. They were helping me at first and then I don't know what happened. Yeah. Well, I'm sure that God has a plan and we'll have the perfect entity to

represent you and to help you. So what are you thinking about all of this now? I've been dwelling on this scripture for the past few days. It's in Zachariah chapter four. And it says, who are you great mountain? Before Zarubabel, you will become a plane. Or another translation says you will become leveled ground. Before Zerubabel, you will become leveled ground. Before Zarubabel, you will become leveled ground.

That's how I see this situation. As Zarubabel was facing great challenges from the government in building the temple. And God said to him, not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord. Who are you, great mountain? Before Zaruba Bell, you will become leveled ground. So, like Zarubabel, he didn't know how this thing was going to get done, how this situation was going to change. And so that's how I feel. I'm like, there's this great mountain in front of me, this great opposition.

And before Zarubabel or before Dominique Galbraith, this mountain is going to become level ground. Period. it. Yeah. I hope and pray that that is true. And God is already using your testimony and your courage at the very least to help encourage other believers who are facing the same obstacles. It reminds me of a lot of cases. It reminds me of Jack Phillips and the Masterpiece Cake Shop case. It also reminds me of 303 creative Lori Smith, the website designer who didn't want to design a website for a same-sex couple getting married. And of course, SCOTUS ruled in her favor and said,

look, the First Amendment prohibits the state of Colorado where she was from forcing a website designer to create expressive designs speaking messages with which the designer disagrees. Now, I don't know the ends and outs of the comparisons to both your case and Lori Smith's, or between them, rather, but it would seem to me the same issue, that it should be your First Amendment right as an artist to only create designs that express a message that you align with. And in this case, if you are creating a wedding garment for someone, you're not actually discriminating against them as a person. You are discriminating.

You are, I won't even use the word discriminating, although I guess you could with a certain definition. you are saying, I cannot affirm this union. It's actually an act that you are disagreeing with. It's not even just the person. It is what they are doing that you are saying, look, this garment represents the affirmation and celebration of an action that I disagree with. It's not just the individual because, I mean, you've made garments, I'm sure, for individuals that you don't agree with that probably committed sins at some point that

you don't like, but that's different than a woman. wedding garment. It's the same thing. Because people bring that up. Yeah. People bring that up. Like I've designed for Lizzo. Yeah. And they're like, well, and Little Kim and Nikki Minaj. And they're like, well, how can you design for them? And I'm just like, this is, this is different. This is very different.

And furthermore, if a lesbian asked me to make them a dress for their birthday, that's not an issue. Right. You want a dress for your party, your 60th reunion, whatever. That's not an issue. Yeah. But for a wedding, I'm not doing that. Yep.

It's different. And I said Jack Smith earlier. I'm going to say Jack Phillips. But he said the same thing. He said, you know, he's made cakes for people that he disagrees with. But he's not going to make a cake celebrating a wedding or a gender transition. He's had people ask him to do that. He doesn't even make Halloween cakes because he disagrees with that, which is his right.

It should be his right. Right. Whether you agree with it or not, and I see this is very much the same thing. And so I hope and believe that there is precedent for you to stand on and that you're able to defend your rights and the rights of other artists. God's going to do something. I don't know how he's going to do it, but he's going to do something. So it's going to work out. Yeah.

The Israelites also didn't know how he was going to allow them to pass through the Red Sea. They probably didn't have it in their minds that he was going to split it open. Right. Right. And so there's, I mean, there's so many. things that we just can't know, but we can trust in his faithfulness, even if we don't know exactly what it's going to look like. I know that this is like majorly backtracking, but I'm interested in how you became a Christian. Oh, hmm, let's see. Okay. So when I was like a teenager, like, I don't

know why. I wasn't raised in the church. But I just always like from the time I was like a teenager, like 16, 17, I'm like, one day I'm going to give my life to Christ. I don't know where that thought came from. I mean, I had to come from God. But that was just my, you know, I had it in my head that one day I'm going to have to make this decision. And so, you know, young, partying, living life. And around the age of like 20, like my mother, you know, my mother, she was a single parent,

raised four girls, raised actually six more than that, right? But she just raised, she gave birth to four children and just adopted a whole bunch of other ones, right? So we were going through it. And she's like, we're all going to church on Sunday. That's it. So I was like, oh, wow, that sounds like a really good idea. I was so excited. Again, we weren't raised in church.

Yeah. So we went. And I just kept going. And then I was the only one that kept going. And then in, I would say, 2009, I was in this dumb relationship. And I was like, if this don't work out, I'm going to give my life to Christ. It didn't work out. Of course it didn't.

So I was going to church, but I wasn't saved. But I was like going to church. And then I made a decision in 2009 to follow Jesus. and been following him ever since. Yeah, wow. That's awesome. I love that she became a Christian even as an adult, and you just felt that pull towards church without having that background.

That's a pretty unique story, actually, which I love. I always felt like it was kind of like a boring, like, you just, but it is kind of different. Yeah, no, I love that. And tell me about your jacket. Oh, so I am like very pro-life. Yeah. It wasn't always like that. In 2019, um, when, uh, New York passed the late-term abortion bill.

Yeah. Something, something snapped. Yeah. Me too. Me too. Really? Yeah. It was that, it was that exact thing.

Me too. Wow. I saw it and I said, I don't mean to make this political, but it is what it is. I said, I am never. voting for another Democrat again. And I was a Democrat before. Well, I think I registered. No, I registered as a Republican as like a joke or to just kind of contrary.

But I was definitely like ideologically wise like a Democrat and I voted for Obama and all that. But at that point, something snapped. I was like, oh, this is wicked. Yeah. Never. Yeah. You know. And so from there, like God just really started to change my heart.

because before that I was indifferent when it came to abortion. But God started to change my heart with that particular bill. And it started to make me view, like do more research about politics and get a deeper understanding about the abortion issue, about politics. I started to study, what is it called? Goodness, help me Jesus. Eugenics. I started to study eugenics.

and you know, God just put it on my heart to speak, to come out against abortion, and to come out boldly as being pro-life. And I believe it's something significant because I come from New York. I'm from the Bronx, okay? And I believe it was something that was important for a black woman, especially with the rate of abortion that exists within my community to say that abortion is wrong. You know, it's not of God.

Like whatever they're telling you, they're not, they're telling you that it's about women's choice. They're not telling you how much money they make by getting you to abort your child. They're not telling you about the root of abortion in America, which is eugenics. The fact that they're really trying to wipe us off of this earth, period. You know, so I'm unapologetically pro-life. This is, so, brief story. Yeah. So I had a t-shirt.

I'm like, I want to wear a pro-life t-shirt. Yeah. On the podcast. Yeah. And so I had the t-shirt like made yesterday. Oh. But it was too big. Oh, okay.

It was a whole disaster. So I'm like, all right, I'm going to use it as a patch and put it on this jacket. I love it. I love it. So this is my child Joshua when he was in the womb. I love that. Yeah. So sweet.

It says life for those listening, it says life with an arrow. and it's the sonogram picture, which is just so sweet. I love that. I mean, I hadn't ever voted a Democrat, but I do remember when that happened in 2019 when they signed that bill into law that basically said that you can get an abortion in the state of New York through all nine months

for virtually any reason, as long as you said, well, my mental health is affected roughly by being pregnant, and that's a justification in the state of New York to get an abortion at nine months pregnant. people can tell me that never happens. Those late-term abortions happen at least $10,000, $10,000 times a year. And we don't even have the full reporting on it because most states don't even report.

It's happening thousands and thousands of times. One time is one time too many. And in the state of New York, they didn't just legalize it and say, oh, you know, it's a necessary evil. They lit up the buildings pink. You had all these women, these activists, planned parenthood on the floor when the bill passed before it was signed into law by Cuomo cheering it on. And I just remember, like, I just remember this feeling of oppressive darkness watching that. You know, there's a lot of evil things that happen in politics, but I felt like you did, which just tells me it's the

Holy Spirit speaking to believers in all different places saying, what you're watching is satanic. What you're watching is God's mercy being removed in this way. And from this place and I just remember crying that night thinking I can't even believe that this is a debate that we're discussing whether or not it's okay to kill an innocent child yeah I mean we've just fallen so far which means as you're a testament of it's getting less and less convenient and comfortable to be a Christian right so Christians better count the cost I mean we see what's coming yeah I don't think everybody's That's the crazy part, especially where I am in New York.

Like, if you drowning yourself in CNN and ABC News, like I know a lot. A lot of people there. A lot of, I don't know if everybody's seeing it. Yeah. And it's because they're getting a different narrative. Right. And, I mean, the mainstream media, they're the profits of bail, period. They're the prophets of bail.

And so where I believe we're at a moment, who are you going to serve? Choose this day whom you're going to serve. Right? The prophets of bail or are you going to serve the true and living God? Right? And so that's where I believe we're at, you know, and Christians really, one, wake up to like, I feel like a lot of us, a lot of Christians know better. but because of the culture

like we've become so sucked into the culture just like in Prophet Elijah's day that you knew better the Israelites knew better but because their leader the nation's leader right

he was married to Jezebel she introduced all her wickedness and her way they shifted a culture that was a culture that was Christ centric into a culture of evil, of wickedness. And so you had the Israelites living in this duality

thinking that they can serve both gods. You go to the temple, temple of God and the temple of bail. Pick one. And that's where we are. And so my message to Christians say, is pick one. You don't have to live for the culture. Like, for what?

You can't serve God and money. That's explicitly what the Bible says. Can't serve two gods. And that's what they was trying to get. get me to do like, oh, so many care, your business. It is well with my soul. It's going to be fine. Praise God.

Praise God. Well, thank you so much for your testimony and for having the courage to share it because we like to say courage is contagious. Courage begets courage. And so when people hear this testimony of courage, it's just a reminder to them that, oh, the same power of Christ that made her bold makes me bold too. Amen. And that is the spirit that God has given us, not one of fear, but of power and of self-control.

Yeah. And Jesus wins in the end. Period. That's where our confidence comes from. Period. Period. Amen. So thank you so much, Dominique.

Is there any way that people can support you, find you? How can they do that? Yes. My website, it's, oh gosh, I have like several websites. That's okay. Let's see if I have it. Thebplife.net. Thebplife.net.

Okay, we can put the link in the description of this episode so people can just click on it. Okay, awesome. Thank you so much, Dominique. I really appreciate you coming on. Thank you for having me.