A Vermont couple's foster care license is under threat after they expressed opposition to transgender ideology for kids, highlighting the growing conflict between religious beliefs and government policies on gender issues.
A Vermont couple is facing a battle with the state over their foster care license after expressing opposition to transgender ideology for children. Melinda Antonucci, 44, and Casey Mathieu, 42, allege that the state threatened to revoke their license because they would not affirm gender ideology or facilitate medical treatments for transgender children in their care.
The couple's ordeal began in 2022 when they applied for a foster care license. During the application process, they were asked about their views on transgender children and whether they were willing to foster an LGBTQ+ child. They indicated that they would foster an LGBTQ+ child but were hesitant about facilitating any medical treatments or procedures.
They were also required to take a training module that taught foster parents to affirm a transgender child's gender identity and facilitate a child's transition if requested. Antonucci recalls, "One training actually alludes to the fact that sometimes it's better to intervene medically earlier rather than later."
In February 2023, Antonucci posted a link on her personal Facebook page to a petition advocating for parental rights in the Essex Westford School District. A few weeks later, a DCF worker contacted her to inquire about her support for the petition, which called on the school district to inform parents if it began helping students transition their gender.
According to a letter sent to DCF by the Center for American Liberty, a civil liberties nonprofit representing the couple, the worker told Antonucci that her support for the petition was concerning because all foster homes must "affirm" transgender-identifying children.
Antonucci alleges that the worker then "interrogated" her about her beliefs on trans children, asking if she would use preferred names and pronouns and whether she would require her five-year-old son to use a foster child's preferred name and pronouns. The couple refused to go along with these requests.
In an email to the couple, DCF stated that it was unsure how it could proceed with their fostering, given their inability to predict any foster child's journey with their own identity. The couple was given the option to voluntarily close their license or have it formally denied. They chose the latter, but DCF has not yet formally revoked the license.
The Center for American Liberty argues that DCF has violated the couple's First Amendment and Fourteenth Amendment rights and demands that the department cease any plans to revoke their foster care license based on their views.
"It is hard to imagine how the department's actions have the best interest of children at heart," said Mark Trammell, executive director of the Center for American Liberty. "Denying children the opportunity to be placed in a loving home, merely because of a couple's sincerely held Christian beliefs, is outrageous and illegal."
Antonucci, who recently ran for a position on the school board but lost, believes her foster license experience is linked to her political activism. "I'm so concerned about this ideology that's going on in our state and also our schools," she said. "I just feel like people need to know what's going on, because it's crazy that they're wanting to do this to kids and pushing it on kids and discriminating against us."
The conflict between religious beliefs and government policies on gender issues continues to escalate, with far-reaching implications for families and children. As this case demonstrates, the stakes are high for those who choose to stand up for their convictions.
