{"id":25218,"date":"2026-06-22T23:44:46","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T18:14:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/is-bethanys-break-with-lgbtq-people-a-bellwether-for-foster-care\/"},"modified":"2026-06-22T23:44:46","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T18:14:46","slug":"is-bethanys-break-with-lgbtq-people-a-bellwether-for-foster-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/is-bethanys-break-with-lgbtq-people-a-bellwether-for-foster-care\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Bethany\u2019s break with LGBTQ+ people a bellwether for foster care?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div itemprop=\"articleBody\">\n<p><iframe title=\"Everlit Audio Player\" src=\"https:\/\/everlit.audio\/embeds\/artl_DKJpZt0rL7P?client=wp&amp;client_version=3.2.3\" width=\"100%\" height=\"136px\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>(RNS) \u2014 After six years as a foster parent with <a href=\"https:\/\/bethany.org\/\">Bethany Christian Services<\/a>, Stacey Goodson, based in Western Michigan, has served her last foster youth \u2014 for now.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI closed my license immediately,\u201d Goodson told RNS. \u201cI\u2019m just not willing to be a part of something that I\u2019m so strongly against.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her decision comes as stakeholders respond to the news that the influential evangelical nonprofit, which offers adoption, foster care and refugee and immigration services, will <a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2026\/06\/10\/the-countrys-largest-protestant-adoption-agency-is-dropping-lgbtq-couples-again\/\">no longer employ or partner with<\/a> people who are LGBTQ-affirming. The changes require staff, board members and foster and adoptive families to \u201cpersonally agree and adhere to\u201d a <a href=\"https:\/\/bethany.org\/media\/about-us\/Statement%20of%20faith%20and%20belief%20June%202027.pdf\" data-mrf-link=\"https:\/\/bethany.org\/media\/about-us\/Statement%20of%20faith%20and%20belief%20June%202027.pdf\">belief statement<\/a> that defines marriage as \u201ca covenant between one man and one woman.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe decision is really, really disappointing, because I want to continue fostering, and also I\u2019m not going to support an agency that is so explicitly discriminatory,\u201d said Goodson.<\/p>\n<p>The move is a particular blow for those who celebrated Bethany\u2019s 2021 decision to serve LGBTQ+ foster and adoption parents in the more than 25 states where it operates.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement to RNS, the organization said its policy change was \u201csolely motivated by our conviction that faithfulness to God\u2019s Word must remain central to our mission of demonstrating the love and compassion of Jesus through quality social services.\u201d Some outside voices, including Katy Faust, a conservative activist who believes same-sex couples should not be parents, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Katy_Faust\/status\/2065044342428053510\">celebrated<\/a> the change; on X, Faust said it was evidence that the \u201cvibe shift\u201d is having a \u201cmeasurable impact.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The social acceptance of LGBTQ+ relationships and same-sex marriage has been declining over the past few years. While 65% of Americans still favor legal same-sex marriage, that\u2019s six percentage points fewer than its peak in 2022-2023, <a href=\"https:\/\/news.gallup.com\/poll\/710810\/support-lgbtq-issues-remains-down-peak.aspx\">according to Gallup<\/a>. Similarly, the percentage of Americans who view gay or lesbian relations and gender transitions as morally acceptable have fallen since the early 2020s.<\/p>\n<p>But while Bethany expects the change to create more foster placements among evangelical supporters, LGBTQ-affirming advocates fear foster youth will bear the cost of the change. Data shows that LGBTQ+ people are over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/eprint\/HIM5JC2IYJQPZNSS6XNV\/full?target=10.1080\/10926755.2026.2686667#abstract\">2.5 times more likely<\/a> than non-LGBTQ+ people to seek to foster and adopt, and according to the Administration for Children and Families, there are <a href=\"https:\/\/acf.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/documents\/cb\/2024-afcars-dashboard-printable.pdf\">over 325,000 children<\/a> in foster care in the United States, and only <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Spdy9mapybc\">57 licensed homes<\/a> for every 100 kids in care. LGBTQ+ youth, advocates pointed out, are also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0145213419300092?via%3Dihub\">overrepresented<\/a> in the foster care system. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe child welfare community is in such dire, literally desperate need for foster homes, we don\u2019t have the capacity to tell anybody that we\u2019re not going to allow them to foster, unless it\u2019s a real safety reason,\u201d said Goodson.<\/p>\n<h2>Legal terrain and political climate<\/h2>\n<p>Over the past decade, Bethany has had an inconsistent track record working with LGBTQ+ people \u2014 thanks in part to the patchwork of state laws dictating who child welfare agencies must serve. <a href=\"https:\/\/mapresearch.org\/equality-map\/religious-exemptions\/#child-welfare\">Sixteen U.S. states<\/a> have religious exemptions allowing some state-licensed child welfare agencies to refuse to serve LGBTQ+ adoptive or foster parents, while at least 20 states have some <a href=\"https:\/\/familyequality.org\/resource\/lgbtq-foster-care-laws-by-state-laws-regulations-and-state-agency-policies\/\">legal protections<\/a> for prospective LGBTQ+ parents.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4263532\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"width: 427px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2026\/06\/10\/the-countrys-largest-protestant-adoption-agency-is-dropping-lgbtq-couples-again\/photo-courtesy-of-bethany-christian-services-5\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-4263532\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4263532 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-Bethany-Christian-Services2-427x320.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"427\" height=\"320\" srcset=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-Bethany-Christian-Services2-427x320.jpg 427w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-Bethany-Christian-Services2-807x605.jpg 807w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-Bethany-Christian-Services2-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-Bethany-Christian-Services2-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-Bethany-Christian-Services2-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-Bethany-Christian-Services2-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-Bethany-Christian-Services2.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 427px) 100vw, 427px\"\/><\/a> <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text edd-enabled\"><span class=\"caption\">(Photo courtesy of Bethany Christian Services)<\/span><span class=\"credit\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>These uneven guidelines are complicated by the fact that much of Bethany\u2019s foster and adoption services are <a href=\"https:\/\/bethany.org\/about-us\/annual-report\/2024\">fueled by state and federal tax dollars<\/a>. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re not just talking about an agency that\u2019s doing a private adoption,\u201d said Naomi Goldberg, executive director of <a href=\"https:\/\/mapresearch.org\/\">Movement Advancement Project<\/a>, a think tank that tracks LGBTQ+ laws and policies. \u201cThese are agencies that are working in a space alongside the state, often with federal funding, to care for our most vulnerable children.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s because of its public partnerships that Bethany first opened its doors to same-sex couples. Facing the possible loss of government contracts, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inquirer.com\/philly\/news\/foster-care-lgbt-bethany-christian-services-same-sex-philly-lawsuit-catholic-social-services-20180628.html\">Bethany began serving LGBTQ+ parents<\/a> in Philadelphia in 2018 and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.freep.com\/story\/news\/local\/michigan\/2019\/04\/22\/adoption-foster-bethany-christian\/3540472002\/?gnt-cfr=1&amp;gca-cat=p&amp;gca-uir=false&amp;gca-epti=z1146xxu002160e1146xxv001460&amp;gca-ft=194&amp;gca-ds=sophi\">in Michigan<\/a> the following year before expanding that commitment to all locations in 2021.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But the legal and political landscape has changed significantly since then.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Luce Remy, vice president of public policy for <a href=\"https:\/\/familyequality.org\/?gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=1730344538&amp;gbraid=0AAAAADqSDUJYR0ADnoD7s2SZ4imNZtl7j&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwrs7RBhDuARIsAIVfBD1OLU1Qz_vWeWv7HbvJozJ0KZdRpq5OXNnhhbu23r4G-eL9nFzIH8saAlcnEALw_wcB\">Family Equality<\/a>, pointed to executive orders that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/01\/defending-women-from-gender-ideology-extremism-and-restoring-biological-truth-to-the-federal-government\/\">condemn \u201cgender ideology\u201d<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/11\/fostering-the-future-for-american-children-and-families\/\">back non-LGBTQ-affirming faith-based organizations<\/a> that are excluded from federally funded child-welfare programs. Jay Kaplan, staff attorney for the ACLU of Michigan\u2019s LGBTQ+ Project, added that recent decisions, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scotusblog.com\/cases\/fulton-v-city-of-philadelphia-pennsylvania\/\">Fulton v. City of Philadelphia<\/a>, show that the conservative-majority Supreme Court is \u201chighly sympathetic to people of faith who do not wish to comply with civil rights laws or non-discrimination policies when it comes to LGBTQ people.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Agency options for LGBTQ+ prospective parents<\/h2>\n<p>Despite Bethany\u2019s policy change, there remains an ecosystem of <a href=\"https:\/\/gwkacademy.org\/family-building-partners\/adoption-foster\/\">explicitly LGBTQ-affirming adoption and foster care agencies<\/a>. Many LGBTQ+ individuals, including several who spoke with RNS, seek out such agencies. But sometimes, Christian options are a better fit. Many Christian agencies focus on serving sibling groups, older children and disabled youth. Bethany\u2019s size means it\u2019s often the most accessible and has a large pool of children needing homes. Plus, there are Christian LGBTQ+ or LGBTQ-affirming couples who prefer to work with a faith-based agency.<\/p>\n<p>Though she\u2019s a queer adult and not a Christian, Katy Chatel, who works as the development director for LGBTQ+ advocacy group <a href=\"https:\/\/www.colage.org\/\">COLAGE<\/a>, began partnering with Bethany in 2022 because it was the only organization in Pennsylvania contracted to provide foster care for unaccompanied refugee minors.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was hesitant, knowing Bethany\u2019s history,\u201d said Chatel, who is based in Philadelphia. But on the heels of Bethany\u2019s nationwide decision to partner with LGBTQ+ people, she figured Bethany would be eager to prove itself.<\/p>\n<p>After hosting one foster child through Bethany, Chatel, who had built trust with local Bethany staff, continued working with the agency, even seeking to adopt an older child. But she says she experienced significant delays during the process and ultimately stopped fostering through Bethany in 2024 due to a <span data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">lack of data on placements with LGBTQ+ parents.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201cLGBTQ parents make up a disproportionate number of foster and adoptive parents in this country,\u201d said Chatel. \u201cThere\u2019s a missed opportunity for young people in this world to feel a deeper sense of safety, belonging and connectedness by removing a huge number of waiting parents.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<hr\/>\n<h2>Foster youth impact<\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_4265189\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"width: 378px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/webrns-katy-chatel-20260622\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4265189 \" src=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-Katy-Chatel-20260622-277x369.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"378\" height=\"504\" srcset=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-Katy-Chatel-20260622-277x369.jpeg 277w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-Katy-Chatel-20260622-480x640.jpeg 480w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-Katy-Chatel-20260622-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-Katy-Chatel-20260622-300x400.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-Katy-Chatel-20260622-600x800.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-Katy-Chatel-20260622.jpeg 1125w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 378px) 100vw, 378px\"\/><\/a> <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text edd-enabled\"><span class=\"caption\">Katy Chatel. Courtesy Chatel<\/span><span class=\"credit\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Chatel also opted for Bethany because children in the child welfare system don\u2019t choose what agency they are served by, and she hoped to be an affirming home for LGBTQ+ youth in Bethany\u2019s care. Under the new changes, Chatel noted, LGBTQ+ youth served by Bethany will only be paired with non-LGBTQ-affirming homes, since any prospective foster or adoptive parent has to sign the statement of belief.<\/p>\n<p>A spokesperson for Bethany told RNS the agency \u201cremains committed to providing compassionate, high-quality services rooted in respect, dignity, and care for every person it serves.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The spokesperson added that they expect the policy change to expand Bethany\u2019s reach. \u201cWe are confident that bringing clarity and alignment to our Christian faith will build restored trust with the Christian community and we will see an increase in engagement with foster care from the church.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bethany says it will also support its current foster families who are not aligned with the new faith statement \u201c<span data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">through a thoughtful transition process.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>While Bethany is betting that the faith statement will strengthen its appeal to its base, according to some experts, data suggests it is overlooking willing partners. Elisha Marr, director of gender studies at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, pointed to a 2017-2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/eprint\/HIM5JC2IYJQPZNSS6XNV\/full?target=10.1080\/10926755.2026.2686667#abstract\">National Survey of Family Growth showing<\/a> that LGBTQ+ people are 2.83 times more likely than heterosexual people to seek to adopt and that people who have no religious affiliation are 30% more likely to adopt than evangelical protestants.<\/p>\n<p>Laura McGinnis, senior manager of public relations at <a href=\"https:\/\/pflag.org\/\">PFLAG<\/a>, which offers <a href=\"https:\/\/pflag.org\/find-resources\/\">resources<\/a> for caregivers of LGBTQ+ youth, said the top priority for child welfare agencies should be pairing as many youth as possible with a \u201cneutral landing place\u201d filled with \u201clove and affirmation.\u201d McGinnis is a Christian who, along with her wife, has fostered and adopted two children from an LGBTQ-inclusive agency.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cImmediately limiting the kind of love that they might need at that time of trauma and fear and uncertainty for them is really unimaginable, especially from a Christian organization,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Marr added that, at a macro-level, the research says LGBTQ+ people are just as qualified as straight, cisgender parents.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen they have two people in their lives that are caring for them socially, emotionally and financially, they\u2019re as well adjusted as kids in heterosexual families,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>That was the case for former foster youth adopted by LGBTQ+ parents who spoke to RNS. Melia Scanlon, 31, was fostered by her moms from age 3 to 6 before she was adopted. She told RNS that people often care too much about qualities that don\u2019t impact people\u2019s ability to care for children.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeing a part of the LGBTQIA+ community does not mean you will be a bad parent, nor does it automatically mean you will be a good parent,\u201d said Scanlon. \u201cMy parents made sure that each and every child who entered our home knew they were safe, cared for, loved and important. \u2026 I have always said, and firmly believe, that being in foster care, and then adopted, saved my life.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<hr\/>\n<p><!-- CONTENT END 1 -->\n        <\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2026\/06\/22\/is-bethanys-break-with-lgbtq-people-a-bellwether-for-foster-care\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(RNS) \u2014 After six years as a foster parent with Bethany Christian Services, Stacey Goodson, based in Western Michigan, has served her last foster youth \u2014 for now. \u201cI closed my license immediately,\u201d Goodson told RNS. \u201cI\u2019m just not willing to be a part of something that I\u2019m so strongly against.\u201d Her decision comes as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25219,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25218","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25218","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25218"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25218\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25219"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25218"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25218"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25218"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}