#USA #MA – Massachusetts child-welfare officials took custody of a teenage girl in December 2024 after her Christian parents refused to treat her as a boy, the family and their attorney later said. The parents alleged that a school counselor at Algonquin Regional High School had socially transitioned the girl in secret and then reported them to the Department of Children and Families.
Joseph and Arlene Kutzko said they would not use a male name or pronouns for their daughter, Sophie, citing their religious beliefs. Physical-abuse claims against the father were later ruled unfounded, according to the family. A restraining order nevertheless remained in effect, and DCF cut off contact once the parents declined to affirm a male identity.
By September 2026, Sophie was 17. The state held legal guardianship. Relatives said she had been housed in a boys’ dormitory, denied Sunday Mass, and prescribed birth control and psychiatric drugs. DCF sought court approval for high-dose testosterone. A judge paused those treatments pending an October 29th hearing.
Attorney Vernadette Broyles of the Child and Parental Rights Campaign represented the family. She argued that the original neglect allegations were baseless and called for legislative changes so that a parent’s refusal to socially or medically transition a child would not be treated as child abuse.
The account came from an interview the parents and Broyles gave on the Lighthouse Faith podcast on September 13th, 2026. Independent court records and additional reporting that would corroborate every detail had not yet been widely published. The October 29th hearing was expected to decide both custody and whether medical transition could proceed.
Cover Image: Mr. Joseph and Mrs. Arlene Kutzko are active members of their parish where they started a Filipino ministry ten years ago.
