Pastor Dennis Hodges, a devoted Christian leader and public servant, is taking a stand against what he believes to be unlawful discrimination and retaliation. Linked to a controversial abstention from a vote condemning “transphobia,” Hodges alleges that fellow commissioners influenced San Diego mayor Todd Gloria to veto his reappointment. This move has sparked a lawsuit that could send shockwaves through the governmental landscape, calling into question the line between authority and the First Amendment.