A Christian couple from Vermont claimed that the state had threatened to revoke their foster care license because of their views on gender ideology and “gender-affirming care”.
Melinda Antonucci and Casey Mathieu told Fox News Digital they were forced to attend LGBTQ training as part of their application process. The training covered medical treatment for children with gender dysphoria.
In February, they fostered a child in an emergency for two weeks. The relationship with Vermont Department for Children and Families began to suffer that month after Antonucci shared on her Facebook page the link to a petition advocating for the parental rights of the Essex Westford school district.
Antonucci claims DCF began questioning the couple a few months later about their gender views and threatened to revoke licenses if they didn’t agree with gender ideology. The couple refused to comply with DCF’s requests, claiming that their foster license had been shadow-revoked because they hadn’t received any correspondence regarding foster placements for weeks.
The married couple are now speaking out against state gender affirming rules that they claim appear to be required in order for parents to receive foster children.
“There have probably been mixed emotions.” We are frustrated and angry at the same time that we want to do good. We’re giving something back,” Antonucci said to Fox News Digital.
“And we are basically being told we’re not qualified to do this because of our belief, essentially DCF’s belief on gender ideology. Their beliefs are not based on fact but rather their opinion, according to my thinking. They don’t allow us to foster any children because of this. There are many children who need a family.”
The couple has three children but wants to grow their family. This is what prompted them pursue a foster care licence.
The couple stated on the application that they were willing to foster a child who was LGBTQ, but had reservations about providing “gender affirming care” for this child.
This approach involves using hormones, puberty blocks, and sometimes even surgery. However, this has been controversial when used on children.
Parents said that they had attended LGBTQ training, which focused on medical interventions to help children with gender dysphoria. They were even more reluctant to take in a child who was trans-identified because they didn’t want to “go along” with hormones, which “was a real point.”
The licensor informed the parents that the agency had decided to revoke their licenses after several emails and discussions. This was due to the refusal of the parents to foster a child who is trans-identified. The agency hasn’t yet revoked the license. This means that the process is currently in limbo.
A couple from Massachusetts reported a similar incident in which they felt discriminated against as they attempted to become foster parents.
Becket, a non-profit legal organization that supports the Burkes, released the following statement. Click here to read the full text of this lawsuit.
Mike and Kitty completed their training successfully when they applied to be foster parents in the year 2022. The instructor informed DCF of their positive contributions to the class, noting how the couple had helped enrich the training program. They also had to undergo extensive interviews and home studies. Mike and Kitty stressed their willingness to foster special needs children and children with diverse backgrounds throughout the process. Mike and Kitty expressed an openness to foster sibling groups as well so that children with special needs could maintain their family ties. The Burkes are an ideal foster home in every way.
The Burkes, during their home interviews were concerned that many of the questions revolved around their Catholic views regarding sexual orientation, marriage and gender dysphoria. The Burkes responded to the questions by saying that they would accept and love any child regardless of their future sexual orientation. Mike and Kitty Burke said that they would hold on to their religious beliefs regarding gender and sexuality. Massachusetts, however, denied them the license to foster a child, because they, as stated by a reviewer, “are not supportive of [their] faith and neither are they.”
Many foster agencies discriminate against couples based on their religious beliefs. This could lead to many children being kept in state care because they are denied the opportunity to have a family. It appears that the government in many cases is more interested in promoting gender ideologies than finding loving homes for children who are most vulnerable.
