Parents lose custody of 'suicidal' trans child, 14, for 'refusing treatment'

[Big Sky Woke]

AMontana family has to "play nice" with state authorities after their
child was taken away and allowed to switch genders without their consent.

Krista and Todd Kolstad are locked in a months-long legal battle with
Child and Family Services over custody of 14-year-old Jennifer.

The high schooler is living in a group home and wearing a chest binder
after she threatened to kill herself, prompting the state to get involved
and leaving the Kolstads fighting for their rights as parents.

Krista says that even if she gets her stepdaughter back, "our family unit
will never be the same."

"I love my daughter unconditionally, and only want her to refrain from
making decisions until she has the maturity and life experiences to
understand what the consequences are for her actions," she said in a
recent interview.

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It all started in August 2023, when Jennifer told friends at school that
she wanted to commit suicide.

CFS immediately showed up at the Kolstads' home in the small town of
Glasgow, population 3,202.

The teenager reportedly told authorities that she drank toilet bowl
cleanrer and took painkillers to try to kill herself. They took her to a
hospital, where staff continued to refer to her as "Leo" above her
parents' objections.

"We explained that this is in her history but not something we would agree
to as her parents. The hospital staff ignored our request," Todd said in
an interview with the Daily Mail.

The Kolstads are Christian and believe that Jennifer's desire to go by Leo
is "against our wishes, our religion and our core family values," Krista
said. They've also said that Jennifer has been bullied at school and has a
history of making up stories for attention.

Hours after the hospital found no evidence that Jennifer had ingested any
toxic substance, CFS called the Kolstads and told them that Jennifer had
to go to a behavioral facility in Wyoming - where medically transitioning
minors is allowed.

State authorities accused the Kolstads of refusing treatment. They
officially took custody of Jennifer on January 19.

She's now at a group home in Montana where she dons a shaved head, wears
chest binders and attends all-boys groups. After that, the state plans to
send her to Canada to live with her biological mother, who Jennifer has
allegedly called "abusive and crazy" while speaking to her counselor.

In April 2023, Montana's Republican govenor signed a ban on gender
affirming care for trans minors. The law was halted by a judge just days
before it was set to take effect.

Trans care for minors was a big talking point in recent Republican primary
debates, where Gov. Ron DeSantis touted his success in blocking access to
such care in the state of Florida.

The Kolstads say a public defender has encouraged them to "play nice" and
go along with the state's recommendations while they fight to win back
custody of Jennifer.

"We have followed their advice for the last few months and now our rights
are being completely stripped away," Krista said.

On January 19, she shared that she had been ordered to take down a video
from her Facebook page. "The system does not want it made public that it's
broken and continues to violate parents' rights," she wrote.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/parents-lose-custody-of-suicidal-
trans-child-14-for-refusing-treatment/ar-BB1hvTM8