Should foster parents’ personal views affect their ability to foster?

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A new Massachusetts rule requires foster parents to affirm a child’s sexual orientation and gender identity — and it’s drawing scrutiny from the Trump administration.

The Trump administration just warned Massachusetts over a new requirement for foster parents.

On Tuesday, the Trump administration sent a warning addressing the state’s new foster parent agreement requiring them to “support, respect, and affirm the foster child’s sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.”

The LGBTQIA+ Nondiscrimination Policy from Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) says that it “actively recruits, screens, and assesses foster families for their ability and willingness to support and affirm LGBTQIA+ children placed in their care, including recruiting foster families that identify as LGBTQIA+.”

Foster parents must support children who want “gender-affirming clothing, such as binders, packers, body shapers, bras, breast inserts, and similar items in a timely manner” as well as “gender-affirming care when applicable.”

A Catholic couple in Southampton sued the state in 2023 alleging DCF barred them from fostering children over their religious beliefs on gender and sexuality. They claimed DCF’s actions were discriminatory and unconstitutional.

According to the lawsuit, the couple “believe that children should not undergo procedures that attempt to change their God-given sex, and they uphold Catholic beliefs about marriage and sexuality.”

The Trump administration warned the new agreement is in “direct violation” of the First Amendment. Andrew Gradison, the administration’s acting assistant secretary of the Administration for Children and Families told DCF that the policy was “clearly contrary to the purpose of child welfare programs.”

The state could face legal action or loss of funding from the federal government, according to the Globe.

The Boston Globe Editorial Board said DCF should accommodate people’s beliefs and value systems, and that “given the state’s major shortage of foster families, it is self-defeating to expect parents to be perfect, or perfectly aligned with the state’s views.”

We want to know: Do you agree with the state’s new requirement for foster parents? Let us know in the form below or e-mail us at [email protected]. Your response may be featured in an upcoming article.