Megan Pazko wanted to become a foster parent, she sent out applications and a month later Bethany Christian Services responded. When she went to orientation they told her that they don’t work with LGBT people for religious reasons.
Months passed before anyone responded, and then Bethany Christian Services got back to her and said there was an orientation for interested foster parents that week. Paszko and her wife drove to Elkins Park. They were the first people to arrive. They’d also be the first to leave.
“The trainer approached us, and she was really nice, but she told us, ‘I just want to be upfront. This organization has never placed a child with a same-sex couple,’” Paszko said. “She told us she didn’t want to waste two hours of our time.”
In a follow-up call with administrators, the couple were told that Bethany does not work with LGBTQ people because of the church’s views on homosexuality. They were offered names of other agencies to try.
“I just couldn’t believe it,” said Paszko. who lives with her wife in Brewerytown. “There are so many kids out there who need homes, you’re really going to deny them a good one?”
At the same time that the city’s Department of Human Services is urgently calling for more foster parents, two of its foster care agencies, Bethany and Catholic Social Services, operate under policies that turn away LGBTQ people who come knocking.
Read the full story at The Inquirer
