The Christian couples with ‘perfect’ foster homes that Vermont blacklisted over pronouns and Pride parades
Two Christian couples have sued Vermont officials for allegedly kicking them out of the foster care system because of their “traditional” views on gender identity.
Brian and Katy Wuoti, and Bryan and Rebecca Gantt, say the Democratic-led state rejected them even though there weren’t enough safe, stable homes for abandoned children.
Their court case says officials “put politics above people and gender ideology above the interests of children.”
It names Christopher Winters, Vermont’s Commissioner for Children and Families, and his deputy Aryka Radke, who defended the policy but did not comment on the case.
It is the latest in a series of complaints from traditional Christians who say they are being blacklisted as caretakers because of their views on sex and identity.
Pastor Brian Wuoti and his wife Katy have adopted two half-brothers into their family of five children
The fight for trans rights in Vermont has led to protests, including this one at the statehouse in Montpelier in March 2023
Johannes Widmalm-Delphonse, an attorney with the Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal action group, said Vermont denied children love from foster parents because of its “ideological agenda.”
“There are not enough families to care for vulnerable children, and children born with drug addiction have nowhere to call home,” says Widmalm-Delphonse.
The couples filed their 46-page complaint earlier this month in U.S. District Court in Windham, Vermont.
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 “great foster home,” court papers show, but the policy implemented in 2021 created a roadblock.
The rules required foster parents to subscribe to modern ideas about sex and gender.
This included using their chosen pronouns for foster children and taking them to Pride parades upon request.
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 that made them “ineligible” and were kicked out of the foster system in April 2022, the paperwork shows.
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 children reached adulthood
They are suing Christopher Winters, commissioner of the Vermont Department for Children and Families, who has not commented on the case
The couple was in the process of adopting a son to be born to a homeless drug addict in September 2023.
Officials said at the time they were the “perfect home and first choice” for the child, it is claimed.
They also probed the couple’s views on gender, pronouns and Pride parades, it is claimed.
Johannes Widmalm-Delphonse, a lawyer with the Alliance Defending Freedom
They said they could not follow the new rules because of their faith – and officials also revoked their permits.
Officials had determined that the Wuotis and the Gantts were otherwise made for loving caretakers.
But they would not ‘accept and support’ any LGBTQ child placed with them, it is claimed.
At the time, Vermont had about 1,000 children in its care and was struggling to find homes for them, it was said.
The number of foster homes in the state dropped from 1,429 in 2020 to 834 in 2023.
The department had 126 children in group homes, rather than foster care, in 2022.
The country was so desperate for beds that it allocated young people to unlicensed families, it is claimed.
They rejected the Wuotis and Gantts “solely because of their religiously inspired and widely held belief that girls cannot become boys or vice versa,” the lawsuit said.
“These policies harm children and hinder their chances of finding a forever home.”
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 ‘great foster family’ until they came into contact with 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 compromise their religious values
LGBTQ youth are prone to substance abuse and suicide and benefit from having their identities affirmed by caregivers, she said.
“It is our responsibility to ensure that all children and young people will live in a home with caregivers who are committed to fully embracing them and affirming and supporting them holistically,” she told DailyMail.com.
The case raises troubling questions about whether children should be affirmed in their chosen gender identity, and whether government authorities should exclude people who do not consent.
The lawsuit comes as issues surrounding gender-affirming care for children and trans athletes competing on female sports teams remain a hot button in America’s culture wars.
The number of trans children aged 13 to 17 has doubled to about 1.4 percent, health data shows. There have been similar increases in teens seeking puberty blockers, hormones and surgery.
Advocates of “gender-affirming care,” as it is known, attribute it to increased awareness of gender dysphoria and support among physicians and families.
Other experts, conservatives and parents warn of an ideologically driven ‘social contagion’.
DailyMail.com interviewed parents of trans-identifying children who fear they have been influenced by classmates, TikTok influencers, teachers and school counselors.
Some don’t believe their children are really transgender and try to delay puberty blockers, surgery and other irreversible steps. Many say they suffered from depression, anxiety or autism instead.