The fight between evangelical Christian leaders and pro-LGBT government legislation continues in Houston, Texas as city officials have subpoenaed the sermons of five pastors who oppose Houston's new equal rights ordinance.

The Texas city subpoenaed the sermons of several pastors who oppose a recently passed equal rights ordinance for gay and transgender individuals. According to officials, the subpoenas are an attempt to determine what the preachers told their congregants to do in order to get the law repealed. However, the pastors say that the subpoenas violate their religious liberty, reports Time.

The Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, which was passed by openly gay Mayor Annise Parker in May, restricts businesses from discriminating against gay and transgender people. It also allows transgender individuals to choose whether to use a male or female bathroom.

In response to the law, a group of local pastors and religious leaders began collecting signatures to get a referendum to repeal the law in November. However, City Attorney David Feldman blocked that attempt, declaring that thousands of signatures didn't meet the criteria to qualify.

Local religious leaders filed a lawsuit saying that Feldman illegally disqualified the referendum.

The Alliance Defending Freedom, a religious liberty law firm representing the pastors, says that the subpoenas violate First Amendment rights to free speech.

"The subpoenas still ask for information that encompasses speeches made by the pastors and private communications with their church members," said the group's attorney, Erik Stanley, to Fox News.

Stanley continued saying, "This tramples their First Amendment rights to free speech and the free exercise of religion," Stanley said. "Any inquiry into what these pastors did in standing against the ordinance passed by the city of Houston and encouraging members to sign the petition is a violation of the First Amendment."