Parents fear trans children could be taken away following High Court ruling
The parents of trans children fear they could have them taken away following a High Court ruling.
In the case, Mr Justice Hayden ruled that a seven-year-old’s mother had caused the child “significant emotional harm” through her insistence that the child born male, live as female.
Since the case, at least four mothers have said their ex-partners had threatened a custody hearing.
Susie Green, CEO of Mermaids UK, a trans support charity, told the Guardian that all the former partners didn’t agree with the child’s presentation.
“All the ones that have come through so far have been the mum who has custody and the father is unsupportive,” she said.
“[Fathers] have literally said, ‘I’ve seen this [ruling]. I’m going to take you to court.
“Parents are very, very frightened and rightly so.”
One mother said her ex, had not only launched legal proceedings, but was seeking an order banning the child from wearing girl’s clothes to school.
Another said her former partner is very unsupportive of her child’s decision to live as a boy.
“He is supposed to have the clothing that Jake wants to wear, but he doesn’t,” she said.
She added that since the High Court ruling, she was terrified it was going to happen to her.
Sarah Cornes, head of family law at TWM, said that while the case did create a precedent, custody cases were usually “very fact-specific”.
