Montana parents in an ongoing legal battle with state authorities over custody of their daughter on Wednesday slammed the Republican governor's “word soup” response and said family bonds have been “destroyed.”
Krista and Todd Kolstad appeared on “The Megyn Kelly Show” to discuss the timeline for their legal battle over their 14-year-old daughter Jennifer, who has begun identifying as a transgender man. The Montana parents have been dealing with Jennifer's struggles with Children and Family Services (CFS) since August 2023, after the agency removed her from the Kolstad family's custody after the agency refused to assist her daughter with her transition. was explained in detail. (Related: Report: Montana family accuses government of 'kidnapping' teenage daughter who refused to affirm gender transition)
Following the series of events involving the Kolstad family in their daughter's case, Kelly said the family was under a “gag order” warning them that speaking out could “get them in trouble”. I wondered if it was true. Krista said that despite the orders placed on them, she felt she had “no choice” but to speak out and “stand up” for her family.
“Are you under a gag order? Because I know you're potentially in trouble for speaking out right now,” Kelly asked.
“That's correct. Yes, they had a gag order in place. But we're doing this because we feel we have no other choice. As far as I know, we We are the first family in Montana to have this happen and our rights have been trampled on so much that now we are at the point where our family unit is destroyed. The best we can do is It's about standing up for other families and getting the word out so that this never happens to anyone else again,” Krista said.
Kelly went on to ask if Montana Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte was “supporting” families in any way, citing the state's stance on red states and “the dangers of children in transition.” Krista said her family felt Gianforte's online “word soup” reactions had no impact, and she felt like Gianforte was “not doing anything to protect my family.” he emphasized. (Related: New nonprofit aims to win FDA approval for sex hormone therapy through clinical trials)
“What's up with the governor?” Megyn said. “This is a red state. And we're already aware of the dangers of our children moving into it. So why is this Republican governor helping you?” Why don't you give it to me?'' Kelly asked.
“He tweeted – I don’t know if you saw his tweet thread. There were like 8 tweets, but in my opinion they were just a bunch of words that didn’t really say anything. The Basics Essentially, we haven't heard anything from him. I don't think he's doing anything to protect his family or our family,” Krista said.
kelly Gianforte continued to mention how he referred the matter to Republican Lt. Gov. Kristen Juras, but the governor said Officials concluded that the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) “followed state policy and law.” Gianforte's response came shortly after a state court granted Jennifer custody to CFS, which plans to place the team with her mother in Canada.
CFS intervened at the Kolstad family last year after receiving a tip from Jennifer's school, but the situation escalated when 14-year-old Jennifer claimed she had ingested harmful substances. Although Jennifer's claims were later refuted by medical records from a hospital examination, the incident regarding Jennifer's gender identification became a problem for the Kolstads.
When Jennifer's parents in Montana refused to comply with her transgender affirmation, the problem escalated, and 14-year-old Jennifer was taken in by CFS and placed in a group home. Jennifer is currently being monitored 24/7 due to suicidal thoughts and will be placed in Canada with his birth mother, but Kolstad's claims affirm that he is transgender.
