Jewish Tennessee couple sues Tenn. Dept. of Child Services for discrimination
A Knox County couple said they were discriminated against by a state-funded agency.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - A Knox County couple is suing the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services after they said they were discriminated against for being Jewish.
The suit was filed by Americans United for Separation of Church and State on behalf of Elizabeth and Gabriel Rutan-Ram, who said they were denied services by a state-funded foster care agency because they are Jewish.
According to court documents obtained by WVLT News, the Rutan-Rams were going through the process of adopting a boy from Florida when they were required to complete Tennessee-mandated foster-parent training and a home-study certification. The Rutan-Rams contacted Holston United Methodist Home for Children, a state-funded agency and the only one in the area that provides the services for out-of-state placements, the documents said.
Holston reportedly told the Rutan-Rams that it would provide the services they needed, but when the day came, Holston told the couple it could not work with them because it “only provide[s] adoption services to prospective adoptive families that share our [Christian] belief system.” Because no other agency provides out-of-state services, the Rutan-Rams were unable to adopt the Florida boy.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State alleges that House Bill 836, which allows taxpayer-funded foster-care agencies in Tennessee to deny services to those not aligned with their beliefs, violates religious freedom as outlined in the United States and Tennessee Constitutions.
Alex Luchenister, the attorney representing the Rutan-Rams, told WVLT News that the law was unpopular because of the potential it holds for discrimination. “A lot of people all across the state opposed this law because people realized that it would result in the kind of discrimination that Gabe and Liz have suffered,” he said.
The documents explain that the department is violating the religious freedom and equal-protection provisions in Articles I and XI of the Tennessee Constitution by providing tax-payer funds to organizations that discriminate by religion.
WVLT News spoke with the Rutan-Rams, who said the news came suddenly in the middle of the process.
“We were about to drop off a check to them and had filled out hundreds of pages of paperwork and then I got the email saying they couldn’t help us,” Elizabeth Rutan-Ram said. “That’s why we decided to stop going that route because it was just an emotional rollercoaster.”
Gabe Rutan-Ram said the news was disappointing, but he remained determined. “The wind was kind of just taken out of our sails and kind of just left us feeling deflated and really concerned like ‘Oh no, what’s the next step?” he said. “There are so many children out there that need loving homes... You can’t let that bump in the road or obstacle stop you from moving forward.”
WVLT News spoke to representatives with the Department of Child Services, who were unable to comment. WVLT News also reached out to Holston United President and CEO Bradley Williams, who provided a statement.
Six other Tennessee residents joined the Rutan-Rams in the suit, four of them faith leaders. As challenging as the process has become, however, Elizabeth Rutan-Ram said she would do it again.
“As absolutely challenging as it can be, I still would do it again and keep doing it,” she said.
The complaint can be read in full here:
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