Washington foster parents score legal victory after state demanded they use children's preferred pronouns
A Christian couple who spent more than a decade caring for foster children is celebrating a major legal victory after Washington state agreed to change its licensing rules following a dispute over requirements that foster parents use children's preferred pronouns and comply with gender identity policies, even when those requirements conflicted with their religious beliefs.Shane and Jennifer DeGross told Fox News Digital in an interview Wednesday that the dispute began in 2022, when they attempted to renew their foster care license and discovered the state had changed its requirements concerning gender identity.The couple said they were willing to love and care for any child placed in their home but could not agree to certain state-imposed requirements they believed violated their Christian faith."We were made aware that the state had updated and changed some of their requirements," Jennifer DeGross told Fox News Digital."While we agreed that we would love and care for any child in our home, they had specific things that we could not agree to as Christians."DOJ BACKS NUNS CARING FOR DYING CANCER PATIENTS IN FIGHT AGAINST NEW YORK TRANS IDEOLOGY MANDATEWashington foster care parents Shane and Jennifer DeGross said they hope their victory helps other foster parents with sincerely held religious beliefs.
(Alliance Defending Freedom)Shane DeGross said the state required them to affirm the state's views on gender identity and human sexuality."Those views directly conflict with the biblical worldview of human sexuality," Shane DeGross said."So, as Christians, we just couldn't accept that.
Our allegiance is to God and the truth of Scripture.And we just couldn't abide by what they were requiring us to affirm."Washington's licensing policies required foster parents to affirm and support LGBTQ children, including expectations concerning gender identity and the use of preferred names and pronouns.
The DeGross family challenged the requirements on religious freedom grounds.J...