When Philadelphia recently severed ties with Catholic Social Services, Fulton said that she felt fully "the pain of rejection." Fulton, who had been using the Catholic Social Services program for her own foster parenting, said that seeing "the city condemn the foster agency that has made possible my life's work fills me with pain."
On March 15, Philadelphia Councilwoman Cindy Bass authorized an investigation into organizations which do not place foster children in the care of LGBTQ individuals, on the grounds of discrimination. Among the organizations, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health and Human Services found Catholic Social Services at fault, saying their foster placement was discriminatory, and cut ties with the faith-based agency.
"As a single mom and woman of color, I've known a thing or two about discrimination over the years," Fulton remarked.
"But I have never known vindictive religious discrimination like this, and I feel the fresh sting of bias watching my faith publicly derided by Philadelphia's politicians," she continued.
Fulton also underscored the hypocrisy in the city's recent decision to sever their connection with Catholic Social Services, since Philadelphia had announced a growing and dire need for more foster families only weeks before.
The opioid crisis in Philadelphia has contributed significantly to the immediate need of foster families in the city, as many parents have fallen victim to the drug epidemic. Fulton said that there are "rosters of children without safe homes" because of the widespread crisis.