Sponsors (137)
Introduced November 20, 2025 by Danny K. Davis · Last progress November 20, 2025
The bill strengthens federal non‑discrimination protections and enforcement for LGBTQ children in foster care and provides federal support and data to improve placements, while imposing privacy risks, administrative costs, and potential conflicts with faith‑based providers and states that may reduce participation or prompt litigation.
LGBTQ children and youth in foster care will be explicitly protected from discrimination in federally funded child‑welfare services, leading to safer, more affirming placements and improved mental‑health, education, and permanency outcomes.
Prospective foster and adoptive parents (including same‑sex, single, and non‑traditional families) cannot be excluded based on religion, sex (including SOGI), or marital status, expanding the pool of families and speeding placements for children.
Federal support—improved data collection on SOGI and removal reasons, GAO oversight, technical assistance, and targeted funding—will help states update laws, train judges and staff, and design interventions to reduce disparities and inappropriate removals.
Faith‑based providers that object to serving certain prospective parents may lose federal funding, face compliance costs, or stop participating, which could reduce placement options for some children.
State and local agencies and covered providers will incur administrative and compliance costs to change policies, train staff, update systems (including AFCARS), and collect new data, diverting resources from direct services in the near term.
Collecting sexual‑orientation and gender‑identity (SOGI) data on children and families raises privacy, safety, and retraumatization risks if protections and data‑security practices are inadequate, potentially exposing sensitive information.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Prohibits child-welfare discrimination based on religion, sex (including SOGI), or marital status; requires SOGI data collection and creates a national resource center and federal guidance/training.
Prohibits child-welfare providers and other covered entities from denying or limiting services, placements, or supports on the basis of religion, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), or marital status, and gives people harmed by such discrimination a federal lawsuit remedy. It also requires the federal Secretary to issue compliance guidance, offer technical assistance and training, collect sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data in the federal foster/adoption data system, and create a national resource center to improve safety, stability, and permanency for LGBTQ children and youth involved with child welfare. The bill is grounded in findings about shortages of family foster homes and harms facing LGBTQ youth in care (higher rates of placement instability, abuse, suicide attempts, and group-home placement). It focuses on expanding fair access to foster and adoptive homes, strengthening data and training, and promoting best practices to reduce discrimination and improve outcomes for children and families in the child-welfare system.