Washington's foster-care crisis was so dire at one point that children were sleeping in hotels, state offices and cars, but state officials are turning away longtime Christian foster parents who won't use children's opposite-sex pronouns.
Shane and Jennifer DeGross filed a federal lawsuit on March 22, 2024, against the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families Secretary Ross Hunter after the agency refused to renew their foster-care license. has a profound impact on their wellbeing, and children and youth who identify as LGBTQIA+ are overrepresented among the foster care population,” he said.
“However, the permanent injunction does permit DCYF to take an applicant’s views on LGBTQ+ issues into account when reviewing foster family home license applications or family home study applications,” he said. “We do not grant licenses to families that are unwilling to be accepting of a child or youth who explores their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression and comes out while in their care,” he said.
“Despite the DeGrosses’ faithful service as foster parents for nine years, the state disqualified them simply for having views that Washington does not like,” he said. “As a federal court has already affirmed in Blais v. Hunter, this exclusion is unconstitutional — religious beliefs about human sexuality are not a legitimate or constitutional reason to categorically bar citizens from helping children.
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