(If you're not woke, you'll be punished.)
From:
https://tinyurl.com/3v6mp98p (cbsnews.com)
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Massachusetts foster parents lose license after refusing to sign gender
affirming policy: "We simply can't agree to go against our Christian faith"
Byv Louisa Moller
Louisa Moller is a general assignment reporter for WBZ-TV.
Updated on: October 10, 2025 / 1:46 PM EDT / CBS Boston
A couple from Woburn, Massachusetts has lost their license to foster
children after they refused to sign a gender affirming policy form from
the Department of Children and Families (DCF).
Lydia and Heath Marvin have three kids in their teens, but they have
fostered eight different children under the age of 4 since 2020. Their
most recent foster child was a baby with complex medical needs who stayed
with them for 15 months.
"Our Christian faith, it really drives us toward that. James says that
true undefiled religion is to care for the fatherless," said Heath.
The couple said they were prepared to care for more foster children until
DCF pulled their license to foster in April.
Foster parents cite religious beliefs
That's because the Marvins refused to sign the agency's LGBTQIA+
Non-Discrimination Policy because of their Christian faith. Starting in
2022, the policy said that foster families must affirm the LGBTQIA+
identity of foster children.
"We asked, is there any sort of accommodation, can you waive this at all?
We will absolutely love and support and care for any child in our home but
we simply can't agree to go against our Christian faith in this area. And,
were ultimately told you must sign the form as is or you will be
delicensed," Lydia said.
The Marvins appealed the loss of their license, but lost. They're
considering their options but two other Christian foster families are
plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit filed by the Massachusetts Family
Institute and Alliance Defending Freedom against DCF.
The lawsuit alleges the policy forces parents to "accept[ ] a child's
assertion of their LGBTQIA+ identity", "address[ ] children by their names
and pronouns," and "support[ ] gender-neutral practices regarding clothes
and physical appearance."
"There is a speech component and also a religious liberty component to the
lawsuit," said Sam Whiting, an attorney with the Massachusetts Family
Institute.
Letter from Trump administration
Last week, the Trump administration sent a letter to DCF, addressing the
lawsuit and specifically mentioning the Marvins.
"These policies and developments are deeply troubling, clearly contrary to
the purpose of child welfare programs, and in direct violation of First
Amendment protections," wrote Andrew Gradison, Acting Assistant Secretary
for the Administration for Children and Families.
LGBTQ+ advocates argue the policy was developed to protect kids.
Massachusetts foster parents also receive a monthly stipend.
"The state has an obligation to children to make sure that they're safe
and well protected. And foster parents, they're not parents. Foster
parents are temporary. They're a stop gap to make sure children can safely
go back to their families of origin," said Polly Crozier, Director of
Family Advocacy at GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders.
Data collection by DCF is poor but a report by the Massachusetts
Commission on LGBTQ youth suggests that roughly 30 percent of foster
children in the state could identify as LGBTQ, similar to data collected
in California and New York.
The Marvins argue that DCF has been flexible about child placements in the
past for a number of reasons.
"We would love and care and support any child but if there was an issue
where we knew that we would have a different position than DCF, we would
just be open and talk to them about it," Heath said.
A DCF spokesperson said in a statement to WBZ-TV, "The Department does not
comment on matters related to pending litigation."
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-- Sean
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