At the end on January visiting judge Sylvia Herndon said she would rule on the fate of a transgender boy in Cincinnati, whose parents refused to accept his gender identity. I shared the state of the case in Unparenting in Ohio. Judge Herndon promised to submit a ruling by February 16.
Yesterday Judge Herndon ruled that legal custody of the teen would be granted to his grandparents, who "accept their grandson for who he is."
But the judge set some conditions.
Hendon said before hormone therapy can begin at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, the teen must be evaluated by a psychologist not affiliated with the hospital.
That evaluation, Hendon said, should look at "the issue of consistency in the child's gender presentation and feelings of nonconformity."
The judge expressed some concern about statements made by the director of the Transgender Health Clinic.
Hendon noted that the teen’s parents took him to Children’s Hospital in November 2016 for psychiatric treatment for anxiety and depression.
That diagnosis rather quickly became one of gender dysphoria. I am concerned that the director of the hospital’s Transgender Health Clinic said "100 percent of patients seen by the clinic who present for care are considered to be appropriate candidates for continued gender treatment."
The family would have been best served if this could have been settled within the family after all parties had ample exposure to the reality of the fact that the child truly may be gender nonconforming and has a legitimate right to pursue life with a different gender identity than the one assigned at birth.
--Judge Herndon
The judge also called for action by state legislators to create a framework through which the juvenile courts can evaluate a juvenile's right to consent to gender therapy.
That type of legislation would give a voice and a pathway to youth similarly situated without attributing fault to the parents and involving them in protracted litigation which can and does destroy the family unit.
--Judge Herndon
The teen will continue to attend high school and is excelling both academically and musically, Hendon said.