I knew President Trump’s National Foster Care Proclamation this year would omit mention of LGBTQ families, in contrast to President Obama’s. I reached a new level of anger at the administration, however, when the proclamation called for “kinship care’ whenever possible—as his administration works to let foster care agencies turn away prospective parents—even kin—if they are LGBTQ.
Trump’s proclamation says, in part:
When it becomes necessary to move children out of their homes in order to provide more safety, stability, and opportunity, placement with relatives who can provide that environment is the first option. Children often experience less trauma when in kinship care, which is why the Federal Government is funding programs that provide family caregivers the services and support they need and requiring States to demonstrate how their foster care licensing standards promote family-friendly options.
Yet President Trump’s proposed 2020 budget, released March 11, reinforces his intention to let foster care and adoption agencies discriminate against LGBTQ people and others (such as Jews) in the name of religion, using taxpayer money, as I have detailed at some length. Ten states (Alabama, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Virginia) now allow such religious exemptions in child services. All but Alabama allow them to do so even if they receive taxpayer money. As the Movement Advancement Project noted in a 2017 brief, under these laws, “a child who just lost both parents could be denied adoption by an aunt who is an unmarried mother or who doesn’t meet other religious criteria imposed by the agency.”
Kinship care aside, it is ridiculous for the president to celebrate and encourage foster parents while trying to limit those who can become one, simply because of someone else’s religious beliefs. Hypocrisy from this administration doesn’t really surprise me anymore; sometimes, though, it’s good to remember what we’re up against.
Many child welfare agencies, of course, have been and will remain welcoming to prospective parents regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. I know, too, that many LGBTQ people are and will become foster parents, regardless of the obstacles. Here are some resources for LGBTQ prospective foster parents that may help, if you are considering that path. And if you feel like taking action to combat religious exemptions in child welfare, the Every Child Deserves a Family Campaign is a good place to start.