𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐔𝐒𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐒 𝐒𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐒 𝐈𝐓𝐒 “𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐌 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐘 𝐎𝐑 𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐄” 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 Nick and Audrey Jones had fostered 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬. Greg and Marianelly Schrock had cared for 𝟐𝟖 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐱 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬. Then the state told both families their faith made them unfit parents. Massachusetts' Department of Children and Families required every foster parent to sign an agreement promising to affirm a child's stated gender identity, use chosen pronouns, and encourage medical transition if a child asked for it, no exceptions for religious conviction. The Joneses refused to sign. DCF moved to pull their license and take away their 𝟏𝟕-𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡-𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫. The Schrocks' license was simply discontinued in June 2025 over their beliefs on sexuality and gender. In September 2025, Alliance Defending Freedom sued DCF's leadership in federal court on behalf of both families, arguing the mandate violated their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights. Three months later, the state folded. On 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟔, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓, DCF issued an emergency policy change stripping the gender-ideology mandate out of foster care licensing entirely, just as a preliminary injunction hearing was bearing down on it in court (𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘰𝘮). Massachusetts didn't settle quietly behind closed doors. It rewrote a statewide licensing policy rather than defend it in front of a federal judge, because the policy was never going to survive contact with the Constitution. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞. Source: Adflegal