Two Christian couples have sued Vermont officials for allegedly kicking them out of the foster care system for their “traditional” views on gender identity.
Brian and Katy Wuoti, and Bryan and Rebecca Gantt, say the Democratic-led state rejected them, even though it did not have enough safe, stable homes for abandoned children.
His lawsuit says officials put “politics above people and gender ideology above the best interests of children.”
He names Christopher Winters, Vermont’s children and families commissioner, and his deputy Aryka Radke, who defended the policies but did not comment on the case.
It is the latest in a series of complaints from traditional Christians who say they have been blacklisted as caregivers because of their views on sex and identity.
Pastor Brian Wuoti and his wife Katy adopted two half-siblings into their family of five children.
The fight for trans rights in Vermont has led to protests, including this one at the Montpelier State House in March 2023.
Johannes Widmalm-Delphonse, an attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal action group, said Vermont was denying children loving adoptive 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,” Widmalm-Delphonse said.
The couples filed their 46-page complaint in U.S. District Court in Windham, Vermont, earlier this month.
Brian Wuoti is a pastor and high school math teacher. He and Katy registered as foster parents in 2014 and have since adopted two half-siblings into their family of five children.
Authorities viewed them as a “wonderful foster family,” court documents show, but policies introduced in 2021 created an obstacle.
According to the rules, adoptive parents had to support modern ideas about sex and gender.
This included using foster children’s chosen pronouns and taking them to Pride parades if they requested it.
Foster parents had to do this “even if it is uncomfortable for them,” the rules said.
The Wuotis said they could not accept this because of their Baptist faith.
Authorities said this made them “ineligible” and kicked them out of the foster care system in April 2022, documents show.
The Gantts have a similar story. Bryan is also a pastor. The couple became adoptive parents in 2016 after their four biological children grew up and adopted three children.
Pastor Bryan Gantt and his wife, Rebecca, adopted three children after their four biological children were grown.
They are suing Christopher Winters, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Children and Families, who has not commented on the case.
In September 2023, the couple was preparing to adopt a baby to be born to a homeless drug addict.
Authorities at the time are alleged to have said they were the “perfect home and first choice” for the baby.
They also reportedly probed the couple’s views on gender, pronouns and Pride parades.
Johannes Widmalm-Delphonse, lawyer for the Freedom Alliance
They said they couldn’t follow the new rules because of their faith, and officials also revoked their licenses.
Authorities had determined that the Wuotis and Gantts were loving caregivers.
But it is claimed they would not be sufficiently ‘accepting or supportive’ of any LGBTQ children placed with them.
At the time, Vermont had about 1,000 children in care and was struggling to find them homes, it is claimed.
The number of foster homes in the state fell from 1,429 in 2020 to 834 in 2023.
In 2022, the department had 126 children in group homes, rather than foster families.
It is claimed he was so desperate for beds that he placed young people with unlicensed families.
They rejected the Wuotis and Gantts “solely because of their widely held and religiously inspired belief that girls cannot become boys or vice versa,” the suit says.
“This policy harms children and hinders their chances of finding a permanent 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.
It is claimed that Brian and Katy Wuoti were seen as a “wonderful adoptive family” until they ran afoul of new wave gender ideology.
Pastor Bryan Gantt and his wife, Rebecca, said they would love any child they adopted, but they would not compromise on their religious values.
LGBTQ youth are prone to drug abuse and suicide and benefit when caregivers affirm their identity, she said.
“It is our responsibility to ensure that all children and young people reside in a home with carers who are committed to fully welcoming, affirming and supporting them holistically,” she told DailyMail.com.
The case raises worrying questions about whether children should be affirmed in their chosen gender identity and whether government departments should exclude people who disagree with this.
The lawsuit comes at a time when issues surrounding gender-affirming childcare and trans athletes competing on women’s sports teams remain hot topics in America’s culture wars.
The number of trans children ages 13 to 17 has doubled to about 1.4 percent, health data shows. There have been similar increases in teenagers seeking puberty blockers, hormones and surgery.
Advocates of “gender-affirming care,” as it is known, attribute this to increased awareness of gender dysphoria and support among doctors and families.
Other experts, conservatives and parents warn of ideologically driven “social contagion.”
DailyMail.com has interviewed parents of children who identify as trans who worry they have been influenced by classmates, TikTok influencers, teachers and school counselors.
Some do not believe their children are truly trans and are seeking to postpone puberty blockers, surgery and other irreversible measures. Many say they instead suffered from depression, anxiety or autism.
