Illinois bars social workers and foster families from working with children if they reject transgenderism

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) has enacted a new policy that would prohibit social workers and foster families from working with children if they refuse to facilitate a child's gender transition.

In early May, George Sheldon, the director of the DCFS, approved a new policy that requires all LGBTQ children and youth to "be placed in an affirming safe housing, receive LGBTQ competent medical and mental health services, and have equal opportunity and access to care."

The new rule would also require anyone who is involved with DCFS children or youth to "complete mandatory training in LGBTQ competency."

The policy states that the department "will not tolerate exposing LGBTQ children and youth to staff/providers who are not supportive of children and youths' right to self-determination of sexual/gender identity."

Mary Rice Hasson, director of the Catholic Women's Forum at The Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C., argued that the new policy was "less about safety and well being and more about using state power to 'overrule' basic, empirical (and common sense) truths about human beings and to replace them with ideological assertions that validate adult feelings rather than benefit children."

She noted that under the new policy, parents of children under state care will have no part in deciding whether a child will receive puberty blockers or hormone treatments, as long as two physicians, or a physician and a counselor, who are deemed "culturally competent" in transgender healthcare, gives their approval.

Hasson added that if the child's "permanency goal" is to return home, the parents will be notified if hormone therapy is being administered, but parental permission is not required.

According to Life Site News, the new procedures and standards were drafted with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Pride Action Tank and other pro-LGBTQ groups.

The ACLU was not allowed to review the final version of the policy revisions, but it commended DCFS for incorporating "nearly all of the changes" requested by the group.

Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council noted that "While this portrays itself as being based in science, it is 100 percent ideological."

Laurie Higgins of the Illinois Family Institute contended that there is no study to prove that children are best served if their gender dysphoria is affirmed. She claimed that the best research to date suggests that gender dysphoria diminishes over time if it is not affirmed in young children.