After lawsuits, Mass. drops gender ideology mandate for foster parents

"Massachusetts will no longer require prospective foster parents to affirm the sexual orientation and gender identity of the children they foster, following legal challenges and criticism from religious groups. The change comes after the conservative legal group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) filed a federal lawsuit in September on behalf of two Massachusetts families, who claimed the requirement conflicted with their religious beliefs, according to a Fox News report."

"That same month, federal regulators with the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) sent a letter to Massachusetts criticizing the mandate as discriminatory and a violation of the First Amendment. The agency said it would open an investigation into the matter. On Dec. 12, the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) updated its regulations, replacing language that required foster parents to affirm a child's "sexual orientation and gender identity" with a requirement that they support a child's "individual identity and needs.""

Massachusetts removed a requirement that prospective foster parents affirm foster children's sexual orientation and gender identity, substituting a mandate to support each child's individual identity and needs. A conservative legal group filed a federal lawsuit in September on behalf of two families that argued the original requirement conflicted with their religious beliefs; one family had its foster license revoked and another faced revocation threats. Federal regulators with the Administration for Children and Families criticized the mandate as discriminatory, announced an investigation, and described it as a possible First Amendment violation. The state framed the regulatory change as prioritizing safe, supportive foster placements while aiming not to exclude applicants because of religious beliefs. The legal and policy shift occurred amid a national debate over whether foster parents must support gender identity when it conflicts with personal or religious convictions.

Read at Boston.com