A Christian mother and her husband have filed a federal lawsuit against former therapist Jennifer Forster and several state officials after their teenage daughter was removed from their home by Oregon’s Department of Human Services.
The suit, filed on July 15, alleges violations of the couple’s First and Fourteenth Amendment rights, claiming that the removal was based on the parents’ refusal to affirm their daughter’s transgender identity.
Forster allegedly described the mother as “aggressive and angry,” asserting that she intended to leave her daughter without mental‑health support. The Calaways contend those statements were false and were used to create a fabricated sense of urgency.
In September, the department issued a statement claiming the parents’ reactions to the daughter’s gender expression caused serious psychological harm. The report framed the parents’ Christian convictions as the source of that harm.
The couple says they showed their daughter videos that question transgender ideology, arguing that their intent was to provide a balanced perspective before any irreversible medical decisions were made.
They maintain that gender‑affirming care, including social transition, can be detrimental to vulnerable children, a view that the state interpreted as damaging to the daughter’s mental health.
Earlier investigations had screened out a prior abuse referral and found a second allegation unfounded in 2023. A father’s custody motions were also denied in 2024.
Despite withdrawing the dependency petition in November, the state retained the child‑abuse findings on the parents’ records, preventing the mother from contacting the daughter and restricting her volunteer and professional opportunities.
In December 2025, another administrative finding alleged that the father engaged in inappropriate grooming behaviors toward his daughter. He was notified only in May 2026 and was not given a meaningful chance to appeal.
The lawsuit lists multiple defendants, including the therapist, caseworkers, and unnamed officials, and accuses them of interfering with the couple’s parental rights, retaliating against protected speech, and denying due process.
The Calaways seek at least $5 million in damages, additional punitive amounts, legal fees, and an injunction to remove the abuse designations from state registries.
Oregon has previously imposed policies that required prospective parents to endorse transgender identity, leading to a denied adoption application for a Christian mother who refused to comply. A court ruled that the policy violated First Amendment rights and was not narrowly tailored.
These events illustrate a broader pattern in which government officials enforce gender ideology, separating parents from children and branding them as abusers when they resist state mandates.
