Even within the Muslim community, where a Pew Research Center report from 2020 found a significant 60 percent of millennial Muslims supporting the acceptance of homosexuality, many mosques remain unwelcoming to LGBTQIA+ individuals.
Religious Groups
This internal conflict highlights the broader religious struggle with the proposed rule, despite shifting societal attitudes towards greater LGBTQIA+ acceptance.
The proposed rule stipulates that for children aged 14 and older, agencies must consult them about their case plans. This includes specific reviews for children who identify as LGBTQIA+. It is set up to ensure a child’s their gender identity and expression are respected. This does not acknowledge that children are sometimes uncertain about identity.
This aspect of the rule is seen by critics as an imposition on foster parents’ beliefs and practices.
Faith-based organizations have long played a crucial role in providing homes for children in need, and many fear that this rule could diminish their ability to participate in the foster care system. “Joe Biden continues to harass our State and others like it by implicitly threatening to withhold federal funding for children in need if we do not conform to his ideology, but our values are not for sale,” Marshall said.
