Imagine opening your home and your heart to orphans and other children who need shelter, only to find the government demanding that you stop, not because you’d be a threat to the kids, but because you don’t believe the state religion.
That’s not a hypothetical—it actually happened in Vermont, to two Christian families who foster children in their homes, while daring to disagree with the state’s new established religion, transgender orthodoxy.
As my colleague Mary Margaret Olohan exclusively reported, Brian and Kaitlyn Wuoti and Michael and Rebecca Gantt sued the Vermont Department for Children and Families on Tuesday, because the state agency gave them an ultimatum: Endorse our religion or give up fostering.
The Christian religious freedom law firm Alliance Defending Freedom is representing them.
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These families have adopted five children between them, but Vermont ruled them unfit to continue giving shelter to the most vulnerable young people, all because they disagree with transgender orthodoxy. They’re suing, alleging that Vermont is violating the First Amendment by discriminating on the basis of religion and by abridging the families’ rights to free speech and free association.
The licensing rules for foster homes in Vermont state that applicants and foster parents “shall exhibit … respect for the worth of all individuals, regardless of race, color, national origin, ancestry, culture, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual identity, and physical or mental ability.”
Christians like the Wuotis and the Gantts do respect people regardless of claimed gender identity. They just disagree with the gender identity.
The rules also bar foster parents from “engaging in any form of discrimination against a foster child based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or disability,” and they state that “foster parents shall support children in wearing hairstyles, clothing, and accessories affirming of the child’s racial, cultural, tribal, religious, or gender identity.”
These rules require foster parents to adopt transgender orthodoxy, and the Vermont Department of Children and Families has used them to apply a religious litmus test. The department presented both families with a questionnaire about whether they would “affirm” a hypothetical transgender identity of a hypothetical transgender child.
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They responded by stating their faith, and the department revoked their foster care licenses.
“Gender identity” is a euphemistic term for the religious idea that, in addition to a physical body, each person has a quasi-spiritual identity that should be considered more real than that person’s biological sex. Unlike biological sex, for which there is a tremendous amount of scientific and material evidence, there is no evidence for this “gender identity.”
At best, it is a metaphysical concept taken on faith, much like promises of life after death. At worst, it is an excuse for predatory men to victimize women in private spaces, to win an edge over women in sports, or to confuse children about sex and make them more vulnerable to abuse.
Adopting this view isn’t just a matter of decency and respect like calling a man “sir.” It’s a statement of faith in a metaphysical realm. When the state says you must refer to a man as a woman, it’s forcing its worldview upon you, and the Wuotis and the Gantts had the gall to say no.
Vermont’s Department of Children and Families didn’t insist that these families adopt this worldview in order to serve a particular child the Wuotis and the Gantts wanted to foster or adopt. Rather, it treats gender ideology as the basic statement of faith required for all foster families. Any dissenters must be purged.
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Vermont isn’t exactly awash in potential foster parents. The department told a local CBS affiliate in May 2023 that there are typically about 1,060 children in state custody, and approximately 900 licensed foster families.
Rather than helping the vulnerable, it seems the Department of Children and Families is prioritizing its religious commitment to gender ideology. Alliance Defending Freedom, writing the legal complaint on behalf of the Christian families, wrote, “Vermont would prefer children have no home than to place them with families of faith with these views.”
That’s chilling, but it also seems quite accurate. Indeed, Vermont’s policy would not just prevent conservative Christians who believe that God made humans male and female from fostering or adopting children—it would prevent any family that dares to dissent from gender ideology from doing so. That would include traditional Jews, traditional Muslims, and atheists who adopt the scientific view that sex is binary.
This isn’t just anti-Christian discrimination—it’s a religious test applied to the foster care system.
Sadly, this logic extends far beyond Vermont. Under President Joe Biden, the Department of Health and Human Services adopted a rule barring foster parents who refuse to “affirm” kids’ transgender identities, comparing a lack of “affirmation” to child abuse.
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This state religion threatens parental rights even outside the foster care context.
California has become a “sanctuary state” for “gender-affirming care,” giving California courts custody of a child if someone takes that child away from his or her parents for the purpose of mutilating that child’s body to make him or her resemble the opposite sex. Meanwhile, at least one lawmaker in Virginia has proposed a bill redefining child abuse to include situations where parents might inflict “mental injury on the basis of the child’s gender identity.”
Transgender advocates may see these moves as helpful attempts to protect children, but they represent a government endorsement of a religion—a religion at odds not only with traditional forms of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and other faiths, but also with biology itself.
This intrusion into matters of faith deserves loud condemnation, and the Wuotis and the Gantts deserve praise for taking this issue to the courts.
BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – It was a pleasant Sunday with spring-like temperatures, but it also resulted in a few ice jams in rivers, which happened earlier than expected. The Ausable, Mad, Missisquoi and Great Chazy rivers flooded today due to ice jams. These rivers will recede tonight as temperatures get close to, or below, freezing. However, new ice jams may form, and additional rivers may flood on Monday as highs get even warmer. Expect partly sunny skies with highs in the upper 50s to low 60s. The wind may gust as highs as 40 mph. This will continue to support rapid snowmelt, which will run off into rivers and other bodies of water. Remember to never cross any flooded roads, and avoid going near river banks.
The threat for ice jams will continue into Thursday. A backdoor cold front may touch off a few showers on Tuesday, otherwise it will be partly sunny with highs ranging from the 40s north to the 50s and low 60s south. Computer models continue to bring a low pressure system in our area on Wednesday. It’s continuing to look a little warmer, though the heavier rain is now inching farther into Canada. That said, some rain is likely, and high temperatures will be at least in the low 40s, and may reach the 50s in southern parts of the region. Morning rain on Thursday will change to afternoon snow. A few inches accumulation is possible. Early highs in the 30s will fall through the 20s by afternoon, and overnight lows will be in the teens and low 20s, so everything will freeze up.
Friday will start off with some sunshine, then another, weaker system could bring a light rain/snow mix late in the day and overnight. A few inches of snow can’t be ruled out. A return to more seasonable temperatures will happen over the weekend with highs mainly in the mid-30s and lows in the teens and 20s. There’s the chance for snow showers both days, but significant weather isn’t expected.
MONTPELIER — The 20th annual Vermont Organics Recycling Summit (VORS) will be held on Wednesday, March 25, at the Montpelier Performing Arts Hub. It is organized by the Composting Association of Vermont (CAV) and the Agency of Natural Resources.
VORS brings together composters, farmers, businesses, educators, policymakers, and community leaders to advance solutions to keep clean organic materials out of landfills and return nutrients to Vermont soils. Additional workshops, tours, and hands-on learning opportunities will be held across the state on March 26..
“The 20th annual Vermont Organics Recycling Summit is guided by the theme, Compost! Feed the Soil that Feeds Us,” said Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Misty Sinsigalli. “This is a cornerstone gathering for Vermont’s growing organics recycling ecosystem. Whether you’re a backyard composter, a farmer, a municipal leader, or a sustainability advocate, VORS provides a critical forum for cross-sector collaboration.”
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A highlight of this milestone year will be the keynote presentation from Jayne Merner. Merner is a lifelong compost practitioner and co-owner / operator of Earth Care Farm in Rhode Island. She grew up working in compost production and now leads one of the region’s best-known large-scale compost operations. Merner also hosts The Composter podcast and has taught composting and soil stewardship around the world.
Each year, VORS fosters connections, sparks innovation, and helps translate policy and research into real-world action. The summit welcomes all who are passionate about creating healthier communities through composting.
CAV is partnering with ORCA Media to record sessions for post-event viewing.
To learn more and register for VORS, visit compostingvermont.org/vors-2026.
The Department of Environmental Conservation is responsible for protecting Vermont’s natural resources and safeguarding human health for the benefit of this and future generations. Visit dec.vermont.gov and follow the Department of Environmental Conservation on Facebook and Instagram.
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – The Vermont National Guard held a change of command ceremony Saturday, with a new adjutant general taking the helm.
The passing of the state’s colors marked the transfer of authority. The flag used was the Green Mountain Boys flag, which has flown around the world.
Maj. Gen. Gregory Knight stepped down after seven years leading the Vermont National Guard. Incoming Adjutant General Harder, who previously served as deputy adjutant general, has 36 years of service across multiple roles within the organization.
At the ceremony, Knight reflected on the periods when the National Guard was deployed, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2023 floods and current overseas deployments with soldiers in Iran.
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“Our duty is to hand both the uniform and the mission forward in better condition than when we received it,” Knight said. “The mantle of leadership doesn’t belong to us. We borrow it for a time and our responsibility is to leave it stronger for the next person who wears it.”
Harder said the role carries significant personal meaning.
“Leading this organization is the honor of a lifetime,” Harder said.
Gov. Scott, a Republican, spoke to Harder’s qualifications during the ceremony.
“General Hank Harder’s service to our nation has proven him to be a distinguished leader with the right character and curiosity to continue the work of guiding the guard into the future,” Scott said.
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Harder acknowledged Knight’s tenure during the ceremony.
“Your leadership has left the Vermont National Guard stronger, more capable and ready for the future,” Harder said.
160 Vermont soldiers are currently in Germany on a training mission with Ukraine. Several hundred more are deployed in the Middle East.
Harder addressed the deployed service members during the ceremony.
“We are so proud of what they do each and every day and we’re supporting them from afar and we know what it’s like and we look forward to them completing their mission and coming home,” Harder said.
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Harder said the guard has no control over what happens once troops are overseas but is actively providing support to service members’ families in Vermont.
The ceremony was attended by Gov. Phil Scott, members of the military and family members.
