A devout Catholic family from Massachusetts is speaking out after the state ripped their teenage daughter from their home, for the “crime” of refusing to allow the state to transition her to a boy without their permission.
Joseph Kutzko and his wife say a school counselor at Algonquin Regional High School secretly “socially transitioned” their daughter Sophia without their knowledge, then reported them to the Department of Children and Families (DCF) after they objected on religious grounds. Now, the state has full guardianship of the teen, and a restraining order prevents her parents and older brother from contacting her.
“They took our daughter because we wouldn’t lie to her,” the mother said in an exclusive interview. “We love her. We told her God made her a girl, and that’s not something we can change just because a counselor puts a new name on a piece of paper.”
The nightmare began, according to the family, when their daughter began meeting with a school counselor who—without parental consent—began referring to her by a male name and using male pronouns. When the parents found out and objected on religious grounds, they say the counselor retaliated by filing a report with DCF, alleging emotional abuse.
Within weeks, a juvenile court judge granted the state temporary custody. The parents were hit with a restraining order. Their son—the girl’s older brother—was also barred from contact.
“It’s like something out of a dystopian novel,” said attorney Michael Harrington, who is representing the family. “The state is essentially saying that if you don’t adopt a radical gender ideology that contradicts your faith, you lose your child. That’s not child protection. That’s state-sponsored kidnapping.”
In a twist, a judge has temporarily blocked the state from administering high-dose testosterone to the teen while the family fights the case. The parents say the state was preparing to begin cross-sex hormones immediately—despite the fact that their daughter has no documented history of gender dysphoria prior to the counselor’s intervention.
“They were ready to sterilize our little girl,” the father said. “They wanted to pump her full of drugs that would damage her body forever. And for what? To satisfy an ideology that says parents have no rights?”
The case has drawn national attention from parental rights advocates, who say it’s part of a growing pattern of state agencies overriding families based on gender ideology.
“This is not about protecting children,” said Laura Bennett, director of the Family Defense League. “This is about the government indoctrinating kids, then weaponizing child protective services against anyone who dares to disagree. Massachusetts has become ground zero for the war on parents.”
DCF declined to comment on the specifics of the case, citing confidentiality laws. But a spokesperson said the department “acts in the best interest of all children” and “follows all state and federal guidelines.”
The family’s next court hearing is scheduled for later this month. Until then, they wait—praying for a judge who will see through the lies and return their daughter to the home where she belongs.
“We will never stop fighting,” the mother said, fighting back tears. “They can take our daughter. They can put us in handcuffs. But they cannot make us deny what God has made. And we will not stop until she’s back where she belongs.”