Parents took legal action to stop teen from getting top surgery as an adult. They lost
Parents who sought an injunction banning their 17-year-old from getting top surgery have lost their bid. (Getty)
Parents have lost their legal bid to prevent their 17-year-old child having top surgery.
Having top surgery, a procedure to remove or augment breast tissue, can help many trans and non-binary people affirm their identity.
The parents of a non-binary, lesbian teen, identified as EE in court documents, sought an injunction from the High Court in London.
They also asked the court to force the teenager undergo a psychiatric report, claiming their sexual preferences were signs of mental illness, The Telegraph reported.
The honourable Mr Justice Macdonald ruled against the parents, saying that the teenager would turn 18 within a few days of the hearing, so could give consent to gender-affirming care as an adult.
Macdonald also ruled against having an expert examine the teen who first began to identify as non-binary and a lesbian at the age of 11.
He said, contrary to the parents’ belief, there was no evidence to suggest EE was mentally ill, adding that therapy they were forced to undergo in August and September 2022, shared “some of the hallmarks of so-called conversion therapy“, which is set to be outlawed by the UK government.
The teenager ran away in November 2022 to live in care, following hostility at home.
EE’s lawyers labelled the parents’ move “oppressive”. They reportedly tried to find an expert who would confirm their “fixed belief” that their chil was mental ill just because they identify as non-binary.
The court heard that the parents were accused of believing that LGBTQ+ people were “evil and satanic,” a claim they deny.
EE, who uses them/them pronouns, told the court: “I was being emotionally abused by my parents constantly because they would almost make comments to me about how identifying as transgender means I am mentally ill.
“They would constantly make homophobic/transphobic comments towards me and say things such as the reason LGBTQ+ is normal in the UK is because they are trying to reduce the population.”
The parents had tried to win the case by providing a sentence-long report from a psychiatrist in their native country who had alleged EE had a schizotypal personality disorder.
They further claimed the teen suffered from catatonic states, a psychotic episode, and was bipolar, despite social workers having evidence to show they are a driven and academically bright student.
Anti-trans activists often raise their voices against gender-affirming care, despite studies showing there’s little evidence of trans people regretting accessing gender-affirming care, including top surgery.
