Michael and Catherine Burke allege that the state’s Department of Children and Families discriminated against them for their Catholic viewpoints.
Part of being a foster parent is agreeing to respect the child’s situation, religious views, sexual orientation, etc. If I tell the state that I’m not going to take a kid to church if they’re religious, I’m not getting approved. If I tell the state I’m going to teach potentially gay children that being gay is wrong, I’m not getting approved.
A social worker’s report attached to the complaint said the couple was asked how they would feel if a child in their care identified as LGBTQ or struggled with their gender identity. Kitty Burke responded by saying “let’s take the T out of it” and called gender-affirming care “chemical castration,” according to the report. She also said, “I’m going to love you the same,” but that the child “would need to live a chaste life.” Both Kitty and Michael Burke expressed hesitation around using a transgender or nonbinary person’s preferred pronouns, the social worker’s report noted.
Michael Burke told the social worker he’d been to gay weddings and would “likely attend” his child’s wedding if they were LGBTQ, according to the report, and the couple said they wouldn’t kick a child out of their home for being LGBTQ or subject them to conversion therapy.
Following the interview, the social worker issued an “approval with conditions, specifically around religion and LGBTQIA++ related issues.” Their application was later denied by the department’s Licensing Review Team, the complaint states.
“If you give me an LGBTQ kid, I’m going to be a horrible parent. Wait, why did you deny my parenting application? This is discrimination!”
I don’t know if I need to provide bonifides for being queer positive and not asking in bad faith, but why are there two pluses in that? It just makes me think of C++ and seems… jokey.
Yeah, that’s why I generally prefer “queer”. Plus, it’s not an acronym, and reclaiming words is always good!
Many just say queer. Or LGBT. Companies and news organizations can’t really settle on one thing to call us. Imo, LGBT+ gets the point across without being excessive.
Sounds like the kinda family that if their teenager says they’re gay, will abuse and abandon them.
So yeah, they can go suck an egg.
The nerve of people to cry they were discriminated against for their views as if their views weren’t the original discriminator… It’s just mind boggling.
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.
Stop discriminating against our discrimination! Thanks for the good laugh, Michael and Catherine Burke.
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This got me to open the article again and search for what this may reference. I didn’t see anything in particular about him being worse than her. Did I miss it? I admit that I mostly scanned and didn’t read comprehensively because I don’t care about these people and their bullshit views. Fuck anyone who says “Let’s take the T out.”
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This is why conservatives should not be permitted to be foster parents. Child abuse is a foundational principle of conservatism.
As a child of conservatives, I can confirm…
I agree no child should be placed in a home that would endanger them, but why is this even news? Couple needs to grow a pair and either change their views or just not adopt/foster. Go back to church or golf or whatever. Quit bothering the legal system. Perhaps they could volunteer for an LGBTQ organization and learn why “the T” doesn’t make anyone different or lesser.
There are even dozens of Christian adoption and fostering agencies that will completely ignore any and all criminal histories if you are godly enough. In fact, being as hypocritical as possible seems to be a selling point for these agencies. If you preach God’s love but have smashed a racists face into the concrete and lost your job over it and then shot your dog in the street while your wife defrauds the public and scams vulnerable people to the point of being sued by the state of Texas then you are exactly who they are looking to foster.
Edit: apologies, my fat fingers bungled it: if you are a racist who smashes black people’s faces into the concrete
What’s wrong with smashing a racist’s face into concrete?
You’re not supposed to hurt your friends.
Noice.
See, that’s why religious people are a cancer, look who they befriend.
Edited, I’m bad at typing. He was a racist who smashes a black man into the concrete
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“Gay people suck, unless I can use them as a stick to beat up Muslims”
Fuck off.
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BTW, I don’t hate Muslims, I am Muslim. I’m not a delusional western leftist who thinks us Muslims are a bunch of pro-lgbt pro-trans anti-christian etc… pseudo progressive communists like you think we are.
Tell me more about this “making assumptions” thing. I’m especially interested about everything you seem to know I “think”.
Projection much?
If you are planning on continuing this discussion, mind rule 1.
Yes. Every shitty group needs reform.
Holy shit. The foster system standing up for kids. Now there’s something that sadly doesn’t happen very often. I hope this couple get what they deserve
Which is zero children to indoctrinate by way of fear and hate.
You know, I didn’t even think of this. I initially just thought “good, they might get a queer kid they’ll abuse/neglect and thus shouldn’t have them” but the whole limiting of the expansion of more shitbirds sure is a nice bonus.
In this case that being no foster kids
Good, no child should be placed with parents who may discriminate against them for their natural state of being.
Fuck that couple in particular.
Yeah, child abuse isn’t an ideal trait to have if you intend to be the legal guardian of children.
lol those two shouldn’t be near any kids. They’ll just be control freaks and make their kid exactly what they wanted to avoid.
Stop trying to control every aspect of children lives, conservatives.
“Views”, meaning they’ll abandon their child if they ever come out or acknowledge that LGBTQ people exist…
Sounds like it’s God’s plan for them to stay the fuck away from children. First sensible thing that asshat’s done.
Hahahaha! What a great take.
