A Massachusetts couple filed a complaint this week against the state’s health secretary and multiple officials in the Department of Children and Families after their application to become foster parents was denied over their stance on LGBTQ people.

Michael and Catherine “Kitty” Burke began the monthslong application process with the DCF to foster or adopt a child in January 2022, according to the complaint. The process involved screenings to gauge the couple’s views on raising children from historically marginalized groups, including LGBTQ children. 

A Catholic couple in Massachusetts is suing the state after being rejected as foster parents because of their beliefs about marriage, sexuality and gender.

Mike and Kitty Burke explored becoming foster parents through the Massachusetts Department of Child and Families’ foster care program, which included months of training, home visits and extensive interviews, hoping to eventually adopt children.

A Massachusetts couple suing the state’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) say they were “shocked” when they were first informed of the reason their foster application was denied.

Mike and Catherine “Kitty” Burke, both devout Catholics, filed a federal lawsuit this week with the help of religious liberty group Becket Law, claiming that the state restricted them from fostering children due to their adherence to Catholic teachings on gender, sexuality and marriage.