A judge in Canada has ruled that the father of a troubled 14-year-old cannot stop medics from giving her damaging hormonal treatment against his will.
The teenage girl from Vancouver, identified only as A.B, became interested in ‘changing sex’ after being exposed to teaching, videos and counsellors promoting LGBT values at her school.
Distressed father ‘Clark’ insisted the courts acknowledge his daughter is still vulnerable and “lacks the mental capacity and emotional maturity” to make such a decision.
No consent
Judge Gregory Bowden noted the various risks involved in taking testosterone but decided that without it, the teenager might attempt suicide.
While her father does not consent to the treatment, Bowden said, “I am satisfied that A.B’s consent is sufficient for the treatment to proceed”.
It is said that testosterone injections may have “long-term risks that are not known”, but are frequently supplied to young people diagnosed with gender dysphoria.
‘Family violence’
The judge also ruled that A.B should be referred to using her chosen male name, and allowed to legally change her name without parental consent.
He said: “Any attempt to persuade A.B to abandon treatment or references to A.B as a girl or using female pronouns ‘shall be considered to be family violence’”.
A.B was first exposed to the concept of transitioning at school. She cut off her hair and began identifying as a boy after being shown a pro-transgender video.
Gender dysphoria
School counsellors helped her to choose a male name – something that was kept confidential from the parents – and later referred her to Dr Wallace Wong, an LGBT activist who recommended she begin the hormone treatment.
In August 2018, after only one visit to the gender dysphoria clinic, A.B was prescribed testosterone shots.
When ‘Clark’ told the clinic that he was taking legal action, they sent him a letter informing him that their doctors did not need consent to give his daughter testosterone treatment.
Harmful
New York psychiatrist Miriam Grossman and paediatric endocrinologist Dr Quentin Van Mater gave evidence of the harmful physical and psychological effects that transitioning can have on a child.
Judge Bowden ignored the evidence.