Summarised by Centrist
In an exclusive report to the Daily Mail UK, A Montana family, Krista and Todd Kolstad, lost custody of their 14-year-old daughter, Jennifer, after resisting her desire to transition to male.
The ordeal began after Jennifer expressed thoughts of suicide in August 2023, leading Child Protective Services (CPS) to intervene, suggesting gender transition as a solution.
Jennifer was eventually placed in a Wyoming facility where (unlike Montana) medical transitioning for minors is permitted, and the Kolstads now face a difficult legal battle to regain custody.
According to the report, CPS said that allowing Jennifer to be transgender is ‘in her therapeutic interest’ and that her parents are “not following recommended therapy.”
The Kolstads public defender told the couple to “play nice” with CPS, but they say their rights were being stripped away in the months following. They have opted to defy a judge’s order to remain silent on the case by going to the press.
Their story mirrors a growing trend of custody disputes centred on gender identity, parental rights and child well-being.
