Massachusetts child protective services removed a 17-year-old girl from her home in 2024 after her Catholic parents refused to affirm her gender transition.
Joseph and Arlene Kutzko, of Northborough, Massachusetts, say their daughter Sophie was taken from their care without their knowledge after staff at her high school began counseling her to transition, exposing her to what her parents described as LGBTQ teachings that conflicted with their Catholic faith. The school then alerted state child protective services, which removed Sophie from the family home.
According to Massachusetts CPS gender transition custody case, the Kutzkos say they had no warning before their daughter was gone. “We didn’t find out until after Sophie was removed. It came on like a tornado,” Joseph Kutzko said.
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The couple is now represented by Vernadette Broyles, an attorney with the conservative advocacy organization Child and Parental Rights Campaign. Broyles says the central legal battle at this point is preventing the state from administering high-dose testosterone to Sophie, a treatment she says requires either parental consent or a court order.
“We are actively fighting in court to keep them from really poisoning this young lady with testosterone,” Broyles said. So far, the parents and their attorney have succeeded in blocking those treatments pending a final hearing.
Neither parent has been found guilty of child abuse. Allegations of physical abuse were raised against the family, and Joseph Kutzko was taken into police custody, but those claims have since been disproven.
Despite that, the Kutzkos remain barred from communicating with their daughter. Broyles described the no-contact situation as “entirely the choice of this minor child.”
The family has been clear about their priorities. “The most important thing is to bring her back to our family, but a shorter-term goal is to prevent them from giving her testosterone,” the Kutzkos said. “We’re begging the state, ‘Please, do not give our daughter testosterone.'”
The case has drawn significant attention online after a clip covering the story circulated on social media. Commenters across the political spectrum raised questions about the scope of school authority over student healthcare and the boundaries of state intervention in family decisions.
“I’m not understanding how the school has any authority over a child’s healthcare superseding the parents,” one commenter wrote. Another added, “Whatever your beliefs are, taking a child away from their family should never be treated like a simple disagreement.”
The case is ongoing, with a final court hearing still pending. The outcome will determine whether Sophie is returned to her parents and whether the state may proceed with medical treatment over their objections.
