A Massachusetts Catholic family has spent nearly two years fighting to regain custody of their teenage daughter after state authorities removed her from their home following a dispute over her gender identity and the parents’ refusal to affirm her as a boy.

Joseph and Arlene Kutzko say their daughter, Sophie, was 15 when the Department of Children and Families took her into custody in December 2024. The parents allege that a counselor at Algonquin Regional High School began socially transitioning Sophie without their knowledge and later reported the family to DCF after they refused to affirm their daughter’s male identity, citing their Catholic faith. Sophie is now 17 and remains under state guardianship.

The Kutzkos say they have been separated from their daughter for nearly two years and have been prevented from maintaining normal contact with her. A restraining order bars the parents and their older son from contacting Sophie. The family maintains that it has been unfairly separated from their daughter because of disagreements rooted in their religious beliefs and parental concerns about her transition.

The dispute has now expanded to proposed medical treatment. According to the family's attorney, Vernadette Broyles, state authorities are seeking authorization to administer high-dose testosterone to Sophie. A judge has temporarily blocked the state from administering the treatment while the legal battle continues, giving the family additional time to challenge the proposed treatment and the state's continued custody of their daughter.

The Kutzkos have strongly disputed the circumstances that led to their daughter's removal and say their actions were motivated by their responsibilities as parents and their Catholic convictions. They are challenging the state's continued guardianship while arguing that parents should not lose custody of a child simply because they object to a child's proposed gender transition or decline to affirm an identity that conflicts with their religious beliefs.

Public details about the underlying juvenile case remain limited because Massachusetts child-welfare proceedings involving minors are generally confidential. As a result, the family's allegations concerning the school and DCF cannot be fully evaluated from the publicly available record, and state officials have not provided a detailed public response to every allegation.

The case has nevertheless raised broader questions about parental rights, religious liberty and the authority of schools and child-welfare agencies when parents and officials disagree over a minor's gender identity and medical care. For the Kutzkos, the dispute is ultimately about whether the state should be able to separate parents from their daughter because they followed their religious convictions and objected to her transition.

The family is continuing its legal fight to regain custody and prevent the proposed hormone treatment. The next court hearing is scheduled for Oct. 29.