(RightWing.org) – A controversial case involving a troubled transgender teenager with mental health issues from Montana, their (the child’s preferred pronoun) Christian father and stepmother, youth authorities, Gov. Greg Gianforte (R-MT), prosecutors, the Wyoming Supreme Court, and a judge recently came to an abrupt end after roughly six months of legal and administrative wrangling.
The child’s father and stepmother, Todd Kolstad and Krista Cummins-Kolstad, are currently in Ohio taking care of a sick relative but faced an arrest warrant and possible jail time upon their return to Montana. However, the local prosecutor recently backed down, closing this chapter of the conflict — hopefully.
Montana Judge Drops Case Against the Kolstad Family
On Wednesday, February 21, the Montana Free Press (MTFP) reported that 17th Judicial District Judge Yvonne Laird, an appointee of former Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock, dismissed criminal contempt charges against Kolstad and his wife the previous morning. Her order also canceled a hearing regarding the couple’s repeated efforts to publicly reveal the substance of confidential proceedings. Laird previously ordered the Kolstads to refrain from discussing the case due to the child’s age.
Criminal contempt charges were filed after the couple refused to comply with an order to remove a video the couple posted online regarding their plight. They reposted the clip and contacted news outlets to discuss aspects of the case.
The MTFP reviewed a copy of Laird’s order dismissing the case. She wrote that the contempt displayed by Kolstad and his wife was “undeniable.” However, she noted that the damage they caused to the minor child’s welfare by their actions couldn’t be “undone,” rendering the need for contempt proceedings and charges “moot.”
Laird also wrote that the “unlikelihood’ of “repentance,” “self-accountability,” or “self-reflection” by the Kolstads demonstrated the futility of taking any further legal action against the couple. She also noted that to proceed would “most likely bring further attention” to the minor child.
Background of Case
The case began in August 2023 when the minor child pretended to have swallowed some toilet cleaner and painkillers. The youth, born as a girl, told doctors their father and stepmother opposed their transition to a boy both medically and socially.
Laird later determined that allowing the child to transition was in their “therapeutic interest.” State health authorities briefly transferred the youth to a Wyoming residential treatment facility. Upon their return to Montana, the teen continued receiving transition therapy against the Koldstad’s wishes.
The Kolstads unsuccessfully petitioned the Montana Supreme Court, asking it to enjoin Laird from enforcing her gag order in the case. They also stirred up a ruckus for Gov. Gianforte.
Nevertheless, in early January, Laird stripped the Kolstads of their parental rights, and the child was transferred to live with their biological mother in Ontario, Canada.
Cummins-Kolstad posted a brief statement on her Facebook page, claiming Gianforte’s “corrupt system backed down.” She also vowed to continue to fight for the return of the minor child and the rights of all parents.
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