An Indiana-based Catholic couple, Mary and Jeremy Cox, are appealing to the Supreme Court to hold the state accountable after their child was removed from their home allegedly because they declined to use his chosen name and pronouns. State officials countered, claiming the child was removed due to issues with an eating disorder and not because of a dispute over gender identity. In 2019, the couple’s son shared that he identified as female. However, this conflicted with the Coxes’ belief in the immutability of sex, leading them to continue referring to him with his birth name and corresponding pronouns.
After being investigated by Indiana officials in 2021, their son was moved from the parents’ custody and placed in a home offering “gender-affirming” care. The state insisted that the couple had exacerbated their son’s eating disorder, although it was reported that his condition worsened after leaving their home.
Becket, a non-profit law firm defending religious liberties, is representing the Coxes. They argue that the state courts allowed Indiana to keep the child from his parents’ home due to a dispute over gender identity rooted in the Coxes’ religious beliefs. The Indiana Department of Child Services defended its actions, asserting that it would not pursue a case solely based on a parent’s refusal to acknowledge their child’s gender identity.