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A Montana family alleges they lost custody of their 14-year-old kid after opposing her desire to change genders.
The state’s Child and Family Services (CFS) allegedly snatched custody of the kid from her father Todd Kolstad and stepmother Krista last month, prompting the parents to speak out about how the measure has “destroyed” their family and “trampled” their rights.
The charges, initially publicized over the weekend, prompted Gov. Greg Gianforte’s office to investigate the case, and the governor’s administration sided with CFS employees.
The parents told Reduxx that their problems with the state agency began in August 2023, when officials got a phone reporting that Jennifer, whose name was changed for publication at their request, had suicidal thoughts at school.
A CFS caseworker arrived to meet with the teen and investigate the home where Jennifer claimed to have drank toilet bowl cleaner and taken painkillers in an attempt to commit suicide, according to the site.
The teen apparently showed no symptoms, and a hospital examination revealed she had not consumed any poisons.
However, Jennifer’s hospital stay lasted many days, during which time caregivers saw that she identified as male and preferred to be known as Leo. The parents stated that they immediately objected to any gender transformation.
“We were very clear to the emergency room staff as well as [CFS] that this goes against our values, morals, and religious beliefs,” Krista Kolstad told Reduxx, accusing the hospital of repeatedly undermining her and her husband’s authority.
Jennifer was eventually admitted to a specialized residential care facility in Wyoming due to her parents’ fears. Kolstad told Reduxx that she and Todd were concerned about Jennifer’s care in the state, where kids can receive gender-affirming treatment without parental approval.
“They showed up at our home to serve us with papers to take Jennifer out of our care,” Kolstad alleged. “They told me the reason was that we were ‘unable or refusing to provide medical care.’ That’s just not true.”
Jennifer later returned to a Montana youth facility in September, where she remains. Earlier this month, a court put the teen in the custody of CFS, Reduxx reported.
“We were told that letting Jennifer transition and live as a boy was in her ‘therapeutic best interest’ and because we aren’t willing to follow that recommendation, the court gave CFS custody of Jennifer for six months,” Kolstad told the outlet.
“Our family has been destroyed by this. We have little to no contact with Jennifer, and our rights as her parents have been trampled on.”
The Kolstads said the child is going to be placed with her biological mother in Canada, which worries them because they don’t believe she is fit to care for Jennifer, who she has not had much of a relationship with, according to Reduxx.
However, Montana Gov. Gianforte said in a series of social media posts that state policy and laws have been followed after a review of the case.
“Upon hearing recent allegations related to a child welfare case, I asked Lieutenant Governor Kristen Juras – an experienced attorney, constitutional conservative, mother, and grandmother – to review it,” he wrote.
“Consulting with the director of DPHHS and personally examining case documents, Lieutenant Governor Juras has concluded that DPHHS and the court have followed state policy and law in their handling of this tragic case.”
Gianforte said Juras would continue to monitor the case.
In a statement to The Post, Gianforte’s office said the state does not remove minors from homes to provide gender transition services or use public funds to pay for those services while a minor is in the state’s custody.
“As outlined in its statement of purpose, Child Protective Services protects children who have been or are at substantial risk of abuse, neglect or abandonment,” a spokesperson said.
“Furthermore, the Governor has asked his Department of Public Health and Human Services to codify a formal policy and/or develop a regulation to clarify and ensure the definition of abuse or neglect does not include a parent’s right to refuse to provide gender transition services to his or her minor child.”
