It’s insane the lengths bigots will go to when it comes to denying LGBTQ+ individuals. But can you imagine a parent choosing to reject a child because of their sexual orientation? When you love your child, you’re making the conscious decision to love them through anything. But for a couple in Massachusetts, they don’t agree with that sentiment. And now, because of it, they’re no longer able to foster children within their state.
According to a TikTok posted by @adopted_connor, a “Massachusetts couple says they are no longer allowed to foster kids after refusing to agree to LGBTQ+ policy.” The parents sit and talk to an interviewer, saying they’ll love any child they foster. But this comes with an asterisk, as the wife, Lydia, adds, “But we simply can’t agree to go against our Christian faith.” Apparently, this couple configured their home so they could foster up to eight children at any given time. They also have their own three children, and they’re spewing this amount of hatred.
So, what stopped this family from fostering? Well, the Marvin family stopped themselves when they refused to comply with a specific fostering policy. They refused to sign the LGBTQIA+ Nondiscrimination Policy. This vital policy states that a foster family must “accept a child’s assertion” of their identity and address a child by their preferred pronouns. This doesn’t seem like a lot to ask when you’re fostering a child with their own mind and personality, right? But the Marvin family disagreed. The Massachusetts Department of Children and Families decided to pull the Marvin family’s license because of this.
The Marvin family, obviously very steadfast in their Christian faith, just couldn’t put their hatred of the LGBTQ+ community aside. Lydia told an interviewer, “We will absolutely love and support and care for any child in our home.” But if you won’t support their true identity, how are you showing them love and support? Sounds like this family would just let their religious beliefs get in the way of that, instant red flags.
The Marvin family and two other Christian families decided to team up against DCF in September. They filed a lawsuit to try to get results. Now, the Acting Assistant Secretary of the Administration for Children and Families is speaking up on their behalf. He stated, “These policies and developments are deeply troubling. Clearly contrary to the purpose of child welfare programs and in direct violation of first amendment protections.”
However, @adopted_connor disagrees completely with this statement. He said what’s deeply troubling is “the fact that America has turned our foster care system into a try before you buy marketplace for children.” This is true. A lot of families will foster so that they can avoid excessive costs of adopting a child outright. It’s evident that people like the Marvin family want a child they can mold into what they perceive to be the perfect child.
One commenter asked, “So what do they do when they have a child in their care that is from a family and practices a non-Christian religion? I doubt that they are taking that child to religious services that are in accordance with the child’s religion.” Another person commented, “That’s INSANE. It’s not like they’re saying ‘If you sign this we’re gonna give you a gay child’ it’s to say IF you do get a LGBT child you won’t treat them like [expletive] and invalidate their feelings.” The same can be said for a family whose biological child comes out and is immediately abandoned by said family. You can’t pick and choose who your child is going to be. You have to love them for who they are.
