Conservatives are speaking out after Massachusetts officials revoked foster licenses from Christian families who refused to comply with gender identity mandates.

The controversy follows a lawsuit filed last week in federal court by Alliance Defending Freedom on behalf of two foster families — Nick and Audrey Jones of Worcester County and Greg and Marianelly Schrock of Middlesex County. The families say the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families is stripping them of licenses because they will not agree in writing to use pronouns, supply “gender-affirming” clothing, or facilitate medical transition procedures that violate their religious beliefs.

Conservatives argue the state’s policy puts ideology ahead of children, leaving thousands without homes while punishing families for their faith.

Alliance Defending Freedom president Kristen Waggoner said the policy forces families to choose “between their faith and their foster license.”

“All MA foster families must promise to live and speak according to the state’s view of gender and sexuality — or lose their license,” Waggoner posted on X (formerly Twitter). “Specifically, Massachusetts wants families to promise: to use wrong-sex pronouns if requested; to provide a child with gender-affirming clothing, such as binders, packers, body shapers, bras, breast inserts, and similar items in a timely manner; to facilitate a child’s medical transition via harmful puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones; not to voice any religious or moral beliefs that conflict with gender ideology.”

Waggoner said the state even threatens to break up existing homes.

"There’s no world in which it’s good child welfare practice to traumatize a toddler — separating her from her parents since early infancy — merely because they believe sex doesn’t change," she added. "And there’s no world in which it’s constitutional to categorically disqualify people of faith from being foster parents."

Massachusetts Citizens for Life president Myrna Maloney Flynn said discriminating against Christian families who want to help children helps nobody.

“We know that many of our supporters would love to welcome foster children into their homes, yet they often express concern that, because of current DCF requirements, they would have to contradict their core values to care for those children,” Flynn said in a written statement. “We are hopeful that all who wish to foster and adopt will soon be able to do so freely in Massachusetts, without compromising their integrity.”

Connecticut Republican congressional candidate Amy Chai blasted the policy, calling it “Christophobia in Massachusetts,” on X (Twitter).

She sarcastically added, “Hey, Christians can’t foster kids — let’s send them somewhere where they can be properly groomed and indoctrinated!”

Additionally, Twitchy blogger Amy Curtis wrote an article blasting the state for excluding these foster parents.

“The state doesn’t want reliable, loving foster parents," she wrote. "They want conformists who will toe the DEI line."

Boston Globe columnist Carine Hajjar said the Massachusetts Department of Children & Families (also known as DCF) isn't putting children's interests first.

"DCF is prioritizing ideological conformity over the well-being of children in need of loving homes," she wrote in a column. "But the department can’t afford to lose qualified families based on hypotheticals — and neither can the vulnerable children in their custody."

A spokesman for the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families could not be reached for comment this past weekend.