Dear Kansas agencies and foster parents: The government is letting down LGBTQ+ foster youths

Dear Kansas agencies and foster parents: The government is letting down LGBTQ+ foster youths

A sign supporting LGBTQ+ kids sits in the office of House Democratic leadership on March 5, 2024, at the Statehouse in Topeka. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)On June 24, 2025, a district court judge signed my name change order. By noon, I bore the last name Cook. This change signaled more than a nominal tie to my chosen family. It marked my official departure from the generational cycles of domestic violence and addiction that lingered…