Maryland Child Protective Services Treated Christian Beliefs as Evidence of Parental Unfitness, Black Baptist Parents Allege

Black Baptist parents in Maryland are suing local and state agencies after losing custody of their son in a transgender dispute. They say their son eventually attempted suicide while in foster care.

The parents, listed in the lawsuit as Mr. and Mrs. John Doe, sued the state’s Department of Human Services, Prince George’s County Department of Social Services, a social worker, the foster mother, and other officials earlier this month. They claim that officials treated their Christian faith as evidence of parental unfitness because they did not support LGBTQ+ identities.

“The Does’ faith and religious liberty brought the weight of their own government against them,” Amos Jones, the parents’ attorney, told the Daily Signal in a statement Monday. “We are calling on Governor Wes Moore and County Executive Aisha Braveboy to correct this affront to Christian families in a county full of traditionalist black megachurches.”

The son, who was diagnosed with autism, had engaged in self-cutting, and the parents took him to Children’s National Hospital, Jones told the Daily Signal. The staff there began referring to the son by a female name and referred him to Prince George’s County Child Protective Services.

According to the lawsuit, authorities removed the son from his parents’ custody and placed him with a foster mother. After some time with the foster mother, the son attempted suicide and ended up in the hospital. The parents also claim their son had been carried across state lines without their knowledge.

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