A Massachusetts Catholic family is fighting to regain custody of their teenage daughter after state authorities removed her from their home amid a dispute over her gender identity. Joseph and Arlene Kutzko say their daughter’s public school had already begun socially transitioning her without their knowledge—and that their refusal to affirm her as a boy ultimately helped trigger a nearly two-year battle with the state.

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From LifeNews:

The Kutzkos appeared on the Fox News “Lighthouse Faith” podcast hosted by Religion Correspondent Lauren Green to share about the dire situation over the weekend, alongside their attorney Vernadette Broyles. “The Northborough-Southborough public schools and their counseling practices exposed our daughter to teachings on LGBTQ [ideology] and topics that conflict with our Catholic beliefs about human dignity, creation as male and female in Catholic teaching,” Joseph Kutzko said.

He continued, “[O]ur daughter had been placed in counseling with sessions at Algonquin Regional High School [with] school counselor … Denise Brienze, without our knowledge or consent. [W]e were told she was simply staying after school for extra math help.”

The Kutzkos say that they have not been able to have contact with their daughter since January 2025. “I even begged them [to allow me] just to hug her or kiss her. They say they can’t. They will not allow it,” Arlene Kutzko explained.

The Kutzkos say Massachusetts’ Department of Children and Families removed Sophie from their home in December 2024, when she was 15. According to Fox News’ Lighthouse Faith, allegations of physical abuse against Joseph Kutzko were deemed unfounded, but the state retained guardianship and a restraining order has prevented the family from contacting Sophie. The parents say they refused to use a male name or male pronouns for their daughter because doing so would violate their Catholic beliefs.

The dispute has now moved beyond social transition to medical treatment. The family says DCF has sought to administer high-dose testosterone to Sophie, who is now 17. Their attorney, Vernadette Broyles, is fighting the effort in court while also seeking a full psychological evaluation. According to reporting on the case, hormone treatment has been halted for now while the legal battle continues.

The parents have also alleged that while in state custody Sophie has been housed in a boys’ dormitory, prevented from attending Sunday Mass, and placed on psychiatric medication and birth control. Because Massachusetts child-welfare proceedings are confidential, many details of the case cannot be independently verified, and DCF has not publicly disclosed the complete basis for its decisions.

Whatever emerges as the case proceeds, it raises profound questions about the authority of parents, the role of public schools, religious liberty, and the power of the state when families object to gender-transition practices for their minor children. The Kutzkos say their immediate concern is simple: bring their daughter home and prevent an irreversible medical decision from being made while she remains a minor. “We love her. We love her. We miss her,” Joseph said.

For intercessors, this family’s ordeal is a sobering reminder of why parental rights and religious freedom require prayer and vigilance. Parents should not have to fear losing their children because they hold convictions about sex and gender rooted in their faith. Let’s pray for Sophie and the Kutzko family, for truth and justice to prevail in the courts, and for parents across America to remain free to raise and protect their children according to their deeply held beliefs.

Share your prayers for the Kutzko family and for parental rights in America below.

(Excerpt from LifeNews. Photo Credit: Canva Business)