A Christian mother in Oregon has been cleared by a federal court to move forward with her application to foster or adopt children, after previously being denied for refusing to affirm a child’s gender identity. Jessica Bates, a mother of five, had her application turned down by the Oregon Department of Human Services due to the state’s requirement that foster parents agree to affirm the sexual orientation and gender identity of any child in their care. In a 2023 lawsuit, Bates challenged the state’s policy, and a recent decision from the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals allows her case to move forward while also permitting her to proceed with the application process while the lower court reconsiders her case under heightened legal scrutiny. In her application, Bates wrote, “I cannot support this behavior in a child… I have no problem loving them and accepting them as they are, but I would not encourage them in this behavior. I believe God gives us our gender/sex and it’s not somet...