Montana’s Child Protective Services (CPS) has removed a teenager from her parents after they did not allow her to undergo a gender transition process.
The 14-year-old girl has been relocated to Wyoming.
The teen’s father, Todd, and stepmother, Krista, said CPS’s action is the equivalent of “kidnapping.”
Todd Kolstad, the teen’s father, said in a video that his daughter has “struggled for quite some time in school from bullying,” leading the family to relocate to a new area to give their daughter a fresh start.
After expressing that she wanted to kill herself and undergoing a toxicology report after allegedly consuming drain cleaner and excessive ibuprofen, the girl wanted to be called “Leo.”
The hospital began using male pronouns against the parents’ wishes.
“The hospital continued to call our daughter Leo, even though she’s a minor, and after I stated it’s against our wishes, our religion, and our core family values, the hospital told me to call their lawyer if I have an issue, as they will do what the patient tells them,” Krista said.
“I said to them, according to State Bill 99, they may not under the law provide transgender care nor transition our child,” she continued. “Their response was, ‘They are not providing surgery or hormones, so they’re operating in the gray area of the law.’ I further explained that my understanding of the law was a minor is a minor, and there’s no difference between a four-year-old and a 14-year-old, and we prefer to be called by her birth name.”
“The hospital put our daughter on 24-hour supervision because this was a suicide threat. The hospital placed an aide outside her door who began talking about having top surgery and how she identified as nonbinary. I objected and reported it as inappropriate to the doctor on duty. At that point, I was told, why are you not more concerned that your daughter is trying to harm herself than what the aide is talking about?”
“We do not believe the system has tried to treat her mental health issues,” Krista explained. “Instead, it has forcefully focused on the transgender component and on forcing us into doing things against our family values, religious beliefs, and core moral beliefs. Much damage has already been done to our family. How many families will the system destroy?”
“Is the state of Montana willing to open a door and take every troubled child who is angry with their parents, placing them in group home settings and violating their rights as caregivers, providers, and parents, and morally diminishing and destroying our family units?
“This is a medical kidnapping, and this needs to stop. We currently only have a public defender whose advice has been to play nice. We are running out of time. If there is any attorney willing to fight for us pro bono, please contact us.”
🚨🚨🚨SCOOP
— Karlyn Borysenko, the modern day Yuri Bezmenov (@DrKarlynB) January 25, 2024
The state of Montana has kidnapped a teenage girl from her parents to transition her gender in another state, subverting Montana's laws against gender transition for minors.
A friend of the family reached out to @GabsClark5 and @AffirmReal for help because a… pic.twitter.com/imUbcFqHat
The family has set up a GiveSendGo campaign to raise money for legal fees.
Montana Governor Greg Gianforte (R) issued a statement on X discussing the matter.
Unfortunately, our society finds children whose life, health, and wellbeing are at serious risk from abuse and neglect, and only as a last resort, should they be removed from their home. 2/8
— Governor Greg Gianforte (@GovGianforte) January 29, 2024
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. 4/8
— Governor Greg Gianforte (@GovGianforte) January 29, 2024
Further, Senate Bill 99, which I signed into law in April 2023, prohibits medical and surgical treatments to treat minors with gender dysphoria and also prohibits the use of taxpayer resources for such treatments. 6/8
— Governor Greg Gianforte (@GovGianforte) January 29, 2024
…like what we have done to promote adoption and to ban permanent, invasive, life-altering medical procedures on children, like puberty blockers, hormonal treatments, and sex-reassignment surgeries. 8/8
— Governor Greg Gianforte (@GovGianforte) January 29, 2024
