Couple allege discrimination by DCF over LGBTQ views

Massachusetts couple Michael and Catherine "Kitty" Burke filed a complaint in early August against the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and other officials after their application to become foster parents was denied over their stance on LGBTQ children.

According to the complaint, in January 2022 the Burke's began the application process with DCF. They were screened to assess the couple's views on raising LGBTQ children.

The complaint contained a social worker's report which said the Burkes were asked how they would feel if a child in their care identified as LGBTQ or struggled with gender identity. According to the report, Kitty Burke responded by saying "let's take the T out of it" and called gender-affirming care "chemical castration," She also said, "I'm going to love you the same," but that the child "would need to live a chaste life."

The social worker's report also indicated that the Burkes expressed hesitation around using a person's preferred pronouns.

The social worker granted an "approval with conditions, specifically around religion and LGBTQIA++ related issues," but, according to the complaint, their application was later denied by the department's Licensing Review Team.

The Burkes are represented by Becket Law, a nonprofit legal group focused on religious liberty characterized. Becket Law is characterized by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a "hardline religious-right groups'' working to reverse LGBTQ rights.

According to a statement from the firm released to NBC News, "The Burkes were devastated to learn that they were denied a license to foster or adopt any child in the Massachusetts child welfare system. They're asking the court to get rid of that discriminatory denial so that they will not be barred from fostering or adopting children in the future, in Massachusetts or elsewhere,"

The case highlights the targeting of transgender youth and LGBTQ rights, with different perspectives emerging. LGBTQ youth in foster care face significant risks, including high rates of suicide attempts.