The “woke” left has declared war on Americans who disagree with their aggressive agenda to the detriment of at-risk children. Jessica Bates, a single mother of five who wished to adopt siblings from foster care was denied the chance because she would not agree with the transgender dogma.

Bates lost her husband 6 years ago in a car crash that claimed his life. Since then she has been busy raising their five children. A year ago she listened to the story of a single father who adopted a child. As she listened to his story she felt a divine calling to adopt foster children to honor God’s message that “Those are my children.”

Jessica knew the task would be difficult but she believes she could be successful because of the support system she has with her non-denominational church.

Bates began the process of applying to become certified to adopt a child from Oregon’s foster care system. She began filling out the paperwork and providing her financial information to the Oregon Department of Human Services. Bates also signed up for Resource and Adoptive Family (RAFT) training which was required by the state.

During this training, Jessica discovered that Oregon demanded that applicants to adopt foster children must agree to “respect, accept and support….the sexual orientation, gender identity, [and] gender “expression” of any child the state should place in the applicant’s home.

This would require Bates to display “symbols indicating an LGBTQ-affirming environment,” such as the rainbow flag and pink triangle. This would also include pictures and posters of diverse people who are known to be LGBTQ and same-sex families. She would also be required to take the children to Pride parades.

Bates was also told that adoptive parents must use a child’s stated pronouns and affirm a child’s gender identity if it doesn’t align with their sex.

Jessica then alerted the Oregon Department of Human Services that she would happily love and accept any child, but she would not say or do something that goes against her Christian faith.

Shortly thereafter, Bates received a call informing her that her stance on LGBTQ issues would disqualify her from adopting children through the foster care system. The state of Oregon was clear; she could not be neutral on LGBTQ issues but rather she would be required to affirm her support for their agenda.

After her denial, Bates received support from the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). ADF filed suit on her behalf. ADF Senior Counsel Jonathan Scruggs stated that “Oregon’s policy amounts to an ideological litmus test: people who hold ‘progressive’ views on sexual orientation and gender identity are eligible to participate in child welfare programs, while people of faith are disqualified because they don’t agree with the state’s orthodoxy.” Scruggs further stated “the government can’t exclude certain communities of faith from foster care and adoptions services because the state doesn’t like their particular religious beliefs.”

ADF Legal Counsel Johannes Widmalm-Delphonse stated, “Oregon is putting its political agenda above the needs of countless children who would be happy to grow up in a loving, Christian home like Jessica’s.”

It is interesting that the State of Oregon makes exceptions on a variety of issues to ensure that children are placed in an accommodating home. Widmalm-Delphonse noted that “a family that hunts need not give up meat eating because some children are vegans. And Jews need not accommodate foreign gods because some children desire a home with a Hindu shrine.”

Some people question why many Americans push back against the “woke” agenda. This case is a perfect example of why we must fight back. Many on the left do not practice a “live and let live” philosophy. They demand that Amerians adopt their “woke” agenda or lose their livelihoods and social privileges. This reminds me of Mao’s cultural revolution in China that punished those that opposed his political views.

We can only hope and pray that the court systems push back on the leftist agenda being foisted on the American public.