A devout Christian couple in Massachusetts lost their foster care license after refusing to sign a state policy requiring them to affirm foster children’s fake gender identities.
It’s a decision the pair says forces them to choose between their faith and caring for vulnerable infants.
Lydia and Heath Marvin, who have fostered eight children under age 4 since 2020 — many with serious medical needs — were told by the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families in April that their license would not be renewed because they declined to agree to the LGBTQ policy’s clause. The requirement mandates that foster parents “support, respect, and affirm a foster child’s sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression,” according to the couple.
The Marvins, parents of three biological children, said the stipulation conflicts with their religious beliefs rooted in Christianity.
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“We were told you must sign the form as is or you will be delicensed,” Lydia Marvin told WBZ-TV. “We will absolutely love and support and care for any child in our home, but we simply can’t agree to go against our Christian faith in this area.”
The couple’s home in Woburn had been outfitted with cribs, play areas and baby monitors to accommodate the young children they cared for, including one infant who required medical attention every few hours and lived with them for 15 months.
“Every night for 15 months, we were up at least three times,” Lydia Marvin said. “We certainly thought we would have young children in our home for … we didn’t know how long, but we were not done.”
Heath Marvin described their motivation as driven by Biblical principles, citing the Book of James: “[The Book of James] says that true, undefiled religion is to care for the fatherless.”
The Department of Children and Families did not comment on the Marvins’ case, citing ongoing litigation, but a spokesperson told The Boston Globe that foster homes serve as “a refuge from serious child abuse and neglect and a place for children to heal.”
“The Department of Children and Families works in partnership with foster parents to understand a child’s trauma and to meet their physical and emotional needs by providing safe, consistent, and supportive relationships to thrive,” the spokesperson said.
The Marvins’ situation highlights a growing tension in the liberal state’s foster system, where about 30% of the 8,000 to 9,000 children in care identify as LGBTQ, a clear sign of the contagion that is affecting today’s youth. Yet Massachusetts faces chronic shortages, with only about 5,500 licensed foster parents, and nearly half of foster children moved more than twice a year — one of the nation’s worst stability rates.
The state also ranks fifth-highest in children placed in group homes and fourth-highest in reported abuse within foster care.
From a pro-life standpoint, the decision by DCF prioritizes ideological conformity over the urgent needs of medically fragile infants and toddlers, effectively sidelining dedicated caregivers who could provide stable, loving homes without government-mandated affirmation of gender theories that many Christians view as incompatible with scriptural teachings on human biology and identity.
The Marvins, described by their own DCF social worker as “uniquely dedicated” parents willing to take in children others decline, appealed the revocation but lost. Their home now sits unusually quiet.
“Now it seems like there’s no path forward,” Lydia Marvin said. “We certainly thought we would have young children in our home for a long time. We weren’t done having young children.”
“We weren’t just going to say we care for the fatherless and widows and give money to some entity. We were actually going to do it ourselves, together as a family, and our kids would be a part of that,” she added.
The case has drawn federal scrutiny. Last week, the Trump administration’s Acting Assistant Secretary for the Administration for Children and Families, Andrew Gradison, sent a letter to DCF condemning the policy and naming the Marvins.
“These policies and developments are deeply troubling, clearly contrary to the purpose of child welfare programs, and in direct violation of First Amendment protections,” Gradison wrote.
Two other Christian foster families have joined a federal lawsuit against DCF, represented by the Massachusetts Family Institute and Alliance Defending Freedom. The suit contends the state is forcing foster parents to “renounce their beliefs in both speech and practice,” violating religious liberty under the First Amendment.
The Marvins said they are exploring legal options while mourning the potential end of their fostering journey.
