A California judge dealt a devastating blow to a Texas father in his years-long fight to stop his ex-wife from allowing their pre-teen son, who identifies as a girl named "Luna," to receive gender-affirming care.

Father of two Jeff Younger, 59, announced on X that he "lost all parental rights" over his twin sons after Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mark Juhas granted his estranged pediatrician ex-wife Anne Georgulas the authority to "castrate" his 12-year-old son James.

"I lost all parental rights to my sons. Goodbye, boys. Perhaps, we will meet when you are adults. California Judge Juhas gave my ex-wife authority to castrate my son, James." Younger wrote, referring to a treatment known as chemical castration.

Chemical castration involves the use of puberty-blocking drugs to stop sex hormone production. Unlike surgical castration, chemical castration does not remove organs. While the Department of Health and Human Services claims this practice is reversible, the long-term sexual side effects are unknown. Studies have also reported symptoms such as loss of bone density.

"Let my story be a cautionary one for young men. Fathers have no rights to their children," the dad added.

The long legal battle between Younger and Georgulas made headlines in 2018, when she sought a restraining order against Younger to block him from entering the twins' school or telling other parents or students "that the gender of Luna is different than a girl named Luna," the Washington Post reported at the time.

Georgulas insisted James, who was 6 at the time, identified as female and wished to wear dresses and be called "Luna" instead.Younger, however, said that his son behaved like a boy when they were together — and that the gender confusion was due to his mother's influence.
Texas courts initially granted both parents joint custody in 2019, however, Georgulas won sole custody of their twin children in 2021 — with the caveat that she must seek Younger's consent for medical procedures related to James' gender dysphoria, The Texan reported.

That all changed in 2022, when Georgulas relocated with James and his twin brother Jude to California to take advantage of the state's "trans sanctuary" law that allows parents to pursue gender-affirming care for their transgender child without legal interference from other states.

Younger petitioned the Texas Supreme Court to have his sons returned to Texas before California's law went into effect, but the court denied his request.

Younger's case has progressed in the throes of a national culture war over gender-affirming care for minors.
As of this year, 25 states have banned medical treatments on children who identify as transgender, and a challenge to one of those states heads to the Supreme Court next month.

President-elect Donald Trump vowed to take action on the issue at a campaign event in August, telling the crowd: "On Day 1, I will sign an executive order instructing every federal agency to cease the promotion of sex or gender transition at any age.

"They're not going to do it anymore."
Source link