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3 months ago
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Two Christian couples have sued Vermont officials for allegedly kicking them out of the foster care system over their 'traditional' views about gender identity.
Brian and Katy Wuoti, and Bryan and Rebecca Gantt, say the Democrat-led state rejected them, even though it didn't have enough safe, stable homes for abandoned kids.
Their lawsuit says officials put 'politics above people and gender ideology over children's best interests.'
It names Christopher Winters, Vermont's commissioner for children and families, and his deputy Aryka Radke, who defended the policies but did not comment on the case.
It's the latest in a series of complaints from traditional Christians who say they've been blacklisted as carers because of their views about sex and identity.
Pastor Brian Wuoti and his wife Katy have adopted two half-brothers into their family of five children
The fight over trans rights in Vermont has led to protests, including this one at the statehouse in Montpelier in March 2023
Johannes Widmalm-Delphonse, a lawyer from the Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal action group, said Vermont was denying kids loving foster parents because of its 'ideological agenda.'
'There aren't enough families to care for vulnerable kids, and children born with drug dependencies have nowhere to call home,' said Widmalm-Delphonse.
The couples filed their 46-page complaint with the US District Court in Windham, Vermont, earlier this month.
Brian Wuoti is a high school math teacher and pastor. He and Katy registered as foster parents in 2014 and have since adopted two half-brothers into their family of five children.
Officials saw them as a 'wonderful foster family,' court papers show, but policies introduced in 2021 created a roadblock.
Under the rules, foster parents had to endorse modern ideas about sex and gender.
This included using the chosen pronouns for foster children, and taking them to Pride parades if requested.
Foster parents had to do this 'even if it feels uncomfortable,' the rules said.
The Wuotis said they could not go along with this because of their Baptist faith.
Officials said this made them 'ineligible' and ejected them from the foster system in April 2022, papers show.
The Gantts have a similar story. Bryan is also a pastor. The couple became foster parents in 2016 after their four biological children grew up, and have adopted three children.
Pastor Bryan Gantt and his wife, Rebecca, adopted three children after their four biological kids had grown up
They're suing Christopher Winters, commissioner of the Vermont Department for Children and Families, who has not commented on the case
The couple was in September 2023 readying to adopt a baby boy who was set to be born to a homeless drug addict.
Officials at the time said they were the 'perfect home and first choice' for the infant, it is claimed.
They also canvassed the couple's views on gender, pronouns, and Pride parades, it is claimed.
Johannes Widmalm-Delphonse, a lawyer from the Alliance Defending Freedom
They said they could not follow the new rules because of their faith — and officials revoked their license too.
Officials had determined that the Wuotis and the Gantts otherwise made for loving carers.
But they would not be 'accepting and supportive' enough of any LGBTQ child that was placed with them, it is claimed.
At the time, Vermont had about 1,000 children in care and was struggling to find homes for them, it is claimed.
The state's number of foster homes fell from 1,429 in 2020 to 834 in 2023.
The department in 2022 had 126 children in group homes, rather than foster families.
It was so desperate for beds that it was assigning youngsters to families without licenses, it is claimed.
They were rejecting the Wuotis and Gantts 'solely due to their religiously inspired and widely held belief that girls cannot become boys or vice versa,' the suit says.
'This policy harms children and hinders their chance to find forever homes.'
The couples say officials violated their First Amendment and other rights.
They want the rules changed and their costs and expenses reimbursed.
Radke, the state's deputy commissioner for children and families, defended the new rules.
Brian and Katy Wuoti were seen as a 'wonderful foster family' until they fell afoul of new-wave gender ideology, it is claimed
Pastor Bryan Gantt and his wife, Rebecca, said they would love any child they adopted, but would not budge on their religious values
LGBTQ youth are prone to drug abuse and suicide and benefit when their identity is affirmed by carers, she said.
'It is our responsibility to ensure all children and youth will reside in a home with caregivers who are committed to fully embracing and holistically affirming and supporting them,' she told DailyMail.com.
The case raises troubling questions about whether children should be affirmed in their chosen gender identity, and whether government departments should exclude people who won't go along with this.
The suit comes as issues around gender-affirming care for children and trans athletes competing on women's sports teams remain hot-button issues in America's culture wars.
The number of trans kids aged 13 to 17 has doubled to about 1.4 percent, health data show. There've been similar rises in teens seeking puberty blockers, hormones, and surgery.
Advocates of 'gender-affirming care', as it is known, attribute this to more awareness of gender dysphoria and support among clinicians and families.
Other experts, conservatives and parents warn of an ideologically-driven 'social contagion'.
DailyMail.com has interviewed parents of trans-identifying kids who worry that they were influenced by classmates, TikTok influencers, teachers, and school counselors.
Some don't believe their kids are truly trans and seek to put off puberty blockers, surgery, and other irreversible steps. Many say they instead suffered from depression, anxiety, or autism.
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