Two separate Christian families in Vermont are suing the Vermont Department for Children and Families (DCF) after the state blocked them from fostering children. Brian and Kaitlyn Wuoti and Michael and Rebecca Gantt filed the suit on Tuesday after the state alleged that they’d be unable to be foster parents, as they wouldn’t follow leftist ideas when it comes to gender identity.
An exclusive report by The Daily Signal noted that the state of Vermont is in need of more foster families. In 2023, Vermont DCF noted that there were roughly 1,060 kids in state custody and only about 900 licensed foster families. Both the Wuoti and Gantt families noticed this need and wanted to fill it.
The Wouti’s became foster parents in 2014 and ended up adopting two “precious brothers.” When they chose to renew their license in 2022, they were described as “AMAZING” and “wonderful” according to case workers.
But, as the lawsuit states, “But when the Woutis politely shared that they were Christian and that they could not say or do anything that went against faith-informed views about human sexuality, Vermont revoked their license anyway.”
The Gnatt family had four biological children and began fostering in 2016. DCF asked them to take an emergency placement for a newborn baby, born from a homeless woman addicted to drugs, but they never ended up getting the baby. DCF had sent out an email letting families know that they were required to sign a form indicating that they’d adhere to the state’s view on gender ideology “even if the foster parents hold divergent personal opinions or beliefs.”
The Gantts, given that they support biblical standards when it comes to gender and sexuality, wouldn’t sign the form.
“The Gantts responded that they would unconditionally love and support any children placed with them, but they would not forsake their religious beliefs that people should value their God-given bodies,” the lawsuit states.
The Gantts never received the baby.
Both the Gantt and Wouti families insist they would've loved whoever was placed in their care, but that they’d not be open to taking any children to things like pride parades or using preferred pronouns.
“We were offered to be reeducated and given the choice that they could either revoke our foster license or we could take some education materials, and they could give us up to a year to change our faith,” Mr. Gantt said, according to The Daily Signal. “And I said, ‘No, we are not going to change our faith in the next year; absolutely not.’”
This story proves that Vermont’s DCF is more focused on ideologies than actually helping orphaned children.
A similar case happened in Massachusetts when the Burkes, a Catholic family, were denied foster care licensing. At the time, here’s what I’d written about the situation:
Many kids who enter the foster care system suffer from mental health difficulties and challenges. After all, many of these children grow up not knowing their biological parents or bouncing from home to home. It’s definitely a challenge and they should be loved and cultivated throughout those challenges.
Affirming a delusion is simply going to add to these kids' struggles and push them down a long life of trauma, confusion and suffering. The fact that the Burkes would try to prohibit that from happening indicates that they would be great foster parents.
Not to mention, growing up in a home that encourages kids to trust in God when life gets rough, or to acknowledge that they’re adopted by our father in heaven or that in Christ - no matter what they go through in the foster system - they’re not alone, would be great things for kids in this position to know.
Sadly, our current administration couldn’t agree less.
In September 2023, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released new guidelines for the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) noting that it would transfer “LGBTQ” foster kids to homes that will “affirm” them.
The Biden administration, Vermont, Massachusetts and likely many other states care more about pushing a delusion than about putting a roof over kids heads.
