If everything goes as planned, Christians who don’t agree with “woke gender theory” won’t be able to adopt children. Because of this, Franklin Graham, a well-known Christian leader, has spoken out against it.
Imagine that every Christian marriage in the world found out that they couldn’t have children. Reverend Graham sent a message to the 10 million people who follow him on Facebook on Thursday. It doesn’t work to ignore the most bright possibilities.
He says he learned how to do this in Oregon, where he grew up.
Oregon’s “Personal Qualifications of Applicants and Certified Resource Families” says that adoptive parents must “respect, accept, and support the race, spiritual beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, disabilities, national origin, cultural identities, immigration status, and socioeconomic status of a child or young adult in the care or custody of the Department.” This applies to any child or teen who is in the care or direction of the Department.
A Christian woman who takes care of all five of her children on her own. Due to money problems, Jessica Bates is having a hard time making ends meet. The Oregon Department of Human Services turned down her request to adopt because it went against the state’s law on religious freedom. Bates has made it very clear that she doesn’t like programs that teach kids to act like they are the opposite of their real gender. It’s something she’s talked about before. She basically said, “God decides our gender and sexuality, and we have nothing to do with it.” (my paraphrase).
Oregon’s official in charge of adoptions, Cecilia Garcia, has said that the government will not let Bates become a father because of her faith beliefs.
Reverend Graham thinks that Bates was “denied” because he didn’t agree with the progressive government’s order that everyone take a course on gender issues. So, Bates was “denied” because of this.
He said that parents should let their kids do what they think is right, even if that means going to a Pride march, wearing clothes that go against cultural norms, or changing their name to something that doesn’t really fit who they are. All of these show how he made his points.
Graham said, as Jessica translated, “I wouldn’t tell them to act this way, but it’s not hard for me to love and accept them as they are.” The first thing Graham said was taken out of its proper place.
There are now more than 8,000 children in Oregon’s foster care system, and another 200 are waiting to be adopted.
He says the situation is “appalling” because the government is more focused on getting its political goals and looking “woke” than on meeting the needs of its children.
The Alliance Defending Freedom is fighting against Oregon’s “ideological litmus test” for foster parents. This is being done on behalf of Jessica Bates. (ADF).
The American Defense Fund says that in Oregon, “politics comes before the health and safety of children.” (ADF).