Massachusetts Is Forcing Foster Parents to ‘Affirm’ Trans Children. This Couple Is Fighting Back

When Nick and Audrey Jones began fostering orphaned children in June 2023, they felt called to fill an urgent void facing the Massachusetts foster care system. “We saw the need that there was out there for foster parents,” Nick says. “We wanted to get into action.”

Since then, the couple have taken seven children into their home for short- and long-term placements. Until this spring, they were held in good standing by social workers and enjoyed a positive relationship with the Massachusetts Department for Children and Families. But that changed when they were asked to sign a new foster parent agreement that conflicts with their Christian faith.

About the Author

Guy Denton

Guy Denton is a William F. Buckley Jr. Fellow in Political Journalism.

When Nick and Audrey Jones began fostering orphaned children in June 2023, they felt called to fill an urgent void facing the Massachusetts foster care system. “We saw the need that there was out there for foster parents,” Nick says. “We wanted to get into action.”

Since then, the couple have taken seven children into their home for short- and long-term placements. Until this spring, they were held in good standing by social workers and enjoyed a positive relationship with the Massachusetts Department for Children and Families. But that changed when they were asked to sign a new foster parent agreement that conflicts with their Christian faith.