This morning I wrote about the “Fostering the Future” executive order, comparing it to California’s existing programs. I deliberately kept that post politically neutral, focusing on the practical programs and resources available to foster youth aging out of the system.
But I left something out. Something important.
A facebook commenter called me out on it, and they were right to do so.
Here’s What I Actually Think
The “Fostering the Future” executive order isn’t politically neutral, no matter how much I tried to frame my analysis that way. And pretending it is does a disservice to the kids who will be harmed by it.
I’m tired of politics. I’m exhausted by the way political theater masquerades as policy and the way we’ve stopped being able to talk to each other across divides. I wanted to write something that foster parents from all backgrounds could read without immediately putting up walls based on who signed the order.
But here’s the thing: some policies aren’t neutral. Some policies actively hurt children. And this one does.
The Part Nobody’s Talking About
Buried in the executive order is language directing HHS Secretary Kennedy to “take appropriate action to address State and local policies and practices that inappropriately prohibit participation in federally-funded child-welfare programs by qualified individuals or organizations based upon their sincerely-held religious beliefs or moral convictions.”
Translation: The federal government wants to override state protections for LGBTQ+ youth in foster care. They want to allow taxpayer-funded agencies to turn away qualified foster parents because they’re gay, or to place LGBTQ+ kids with families who won’t affirm their identities, all in the name of “religious freedom.”
Let me be crystal clear about where I stand: This is wrong. This will harm children. And it is profoundly anti-Christian.
What the Data Actually Shows
The statistics aren’t ambiguous:
- 30.4% of youth in foster care identify as LGBTQ+, despite being only 11% of the general youth population
- 44% of LGBTQ+ foster youth report being removed from their homes specifically because of their sexual orientation or gender identity
- LGBTQ+ youth who have been in foster care are 3 times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual, cisgender peers
- In states with religious exemption laws, LGBTQ+ youth report higher rates of discrimination from caseworkers, staff, and foster parents
When we allow “religious freedom” to trump child safety, kids die. Not metaphorically. Actually.
My Position as a Christian
I am a Christian. I go to church. I pray. I believe deeply in my faith.
And I am telling you: using faith as justification to harm vulnerable children is blasphemy.
Jesus spent his ministry with outcasts, with the rejected, with the ones religious authorities said weren’t worthy of care. He touched lepers. He ate with tax collectors. He defended the woman caught in adultery. He said “let the children come to me” without qualifications or disclaimers.
Nowhere, and I mean nowhere, did Jesus say “protect children unless doing so makes you uncomfortable with their identity, in which case your discomfort matters more than their safety.”
The theological gymnastics required to justify discrimination against LGBTQ+ youth while claiming to follow Christ’s teachings are exhausting to watch.
Why I Specifically Seek LGBTQ+ Foster Youth
I am a foster parent who would prefer to only take LGBTQ+ kids into my home.
Not to “fix” them. Not to convert them. Not to change who they are.
To give them a safe place to exist.
There are too many Christians in the foster care system who have caused devastating harm to LGBTQ+ youth. I’ve seen it. I’ve heard the stories. I’ve watched kids choose homelessness over staying in placements where they had to hide who they are or endure “Bible-based” attempts to change them.
These kids have already had so much taken from them. Trauma has stolen their safety, their stability, their childhoods. The absolute least we can do is not add to that trauma by forcing them to deny their own identities just to have a roof over their heads.
When I take in an LGBTQ+ youth, my job is simple: provide safety, provide stability, provide unconditional acceptance. Let them explore who they are without fear. Let them heal without having to pretend to be someone else to earn basic care.
That’s not a political position. That’s basic human decency. And yes, it’s also what Jesus would do.
What This Executive Order Actually Does
The “Fostering the Future” initiative includes some genuinely good things: workforce development programs, education vouchers, corporate partnerships, federal data modernization. California already has most of these, but other states don’t, and federal coordination could help.
But it also includes provisions designed to strip away protections for LGBTQ+ youth.
The Massachusetts case referenced in the order involved a couple who sued because they were told they couldn’t foster if they wouldn’t affirm LGBTQ+ identities. The state said that’s discrimination. The couple said that’s religious freedom.
Here’s my take: If your “sincerely-held religious beliefs” prevent you from treating a child with dignity and respect regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, you should not be a foster parent.
Full stop.
Foster care is not about you. It’s not about your beliefs, your comfort, or your theology. It’s about providing safety and stability to children who have experienced trauma.
If you can’t do that for ALL children, including LGBTQ+ children, then fostering isn’t for you. Find another ministry.
Why “Religious Freedom” Arguments Fall Apart
The argument goes like this: “Faith-based agencies shouldn’t be forced to violate their beliefs by placing children with same-sex couples or affirming transgender identities.”
But here’s the thing: these are taxpayer-funded programs.
When you accept federal money to provide child welfare services, you accept the responsibility to serve ALL children and work with ALL qualified families. You don’t get to cherry-pick based on your theology.
If your religious convictions prevent you from serving LGBTQ+ families or youth, you have two options:
- Don’t accept taxpayer funding
- Don’t run a foster care agency
What you DON’T get to do is take government money and then discriminate. That’s not religious freedom. That’s just discrimination with a Bible verse slapped on it.
What Actually Needs to Change
Here’s what would actually help foster youth aging out of the system:
1. Universal Extended Foster Care Every state should offer support through age 21 (or 26, like California does for some programs). This shouldn’t be controversial.
2. Housing Protections Youth aging out need guaranteed access to housing that doesn’t discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The data on LGBTQ+ youth homelessness is devastating.
3. Mental Health Services Trauma-informed, LGBTQ+-affirming mental health care should be available and accessible. Not “conversion therapy” masquerading as counseling.
4. Education Support Programs like California’s Chafee Grant should be expanded and fully funded nationally. $5,000/year for education or career training should be the baseline everywhere.
5. Workforce Development Corporate partnerships and career programs are genuinely helpful, IF they include nondiscrimination protections.
6. Data and Accountability Federal data collection is good, but only if it includes tracking outcomes for LGBTQ+ youth specifically. You can’t fix what you don’t measure.
7. End Religious Exemptions in Publicly-Funded Programs If you take taxpayer money, you follow nondiscrimination rules. Period.
What I Hope You Take Away From This
I tried to stay neutral in my first post about this executive order. I focused on the programs, the resources, the practical stuff that helps families navigate the system.
But neutrality isn’t always the right choice.
When policies actively harm vulnerable children, silence is complicity.
The “Fostering the Future” executive order contains some genuinely helpful initiatives that could improve outcomes for foster youth aging out. Federal coordination, corporate partnerships, and data modernization are all potentially valuable.
But it also contains provisions designed to strip protections from LGBTQ+ youth and allow discrimination in the name of religious freedom.
I can acknowledge the good parts while vehemently opposing the harmful ones.
I’m a Christian who believes deeply in caring for vulnerable children. That’s exactly why I’m speaking up.
Because protecting “religious freedom” to discriminate is not Christian. It’s not faithful. It’s not loving.
It’s just harm wrapped in Bible verses.
And I won’t be silent about it anymore.
Resources
If you’re an LGBTQ+ youth aging out of foster care or a foster parent seeking to provide affirming care:
For Youth:
- The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386 (24/7 crisis support)
- True Colors United (LGBTQ+ youth homelessness resources)
- Point Foundation (LGBTQ+ scholarship support)
- California Foster Youth Help: www.fosteryouthhelp.ca.gov
For Foster Parents:
- Human Rights Campaign Foster Care Equality resources
- PFLAG (support for families)
- Family Equality (LGBTQ+ family advocacy)
For Advocacy:
- Every Child Deserves a Family Campaign
- Movement Advancement Project (tracking state laws)
- Children’s Rights (legal advocacy)