Trans teen wins payout after authorities told estranged parents of his identity
A council has been ordered to pay a transgender teen thousands of pounds after they revealed his new identity to his parents.
The local council has to pay almost £5,000 after an official revealed the details to his parents.
The teen had previously used human rights law to cut his parents out of his life after they refused to accept his gender.
The 17-year-old, known only as PD, had come out to his adoptive parents as transgender aged 15.
However his parents refused to accept his new identity, insisting on calling him by his previous, female name and pronouns.
A court heard that his adoptive mother and father “struggled to come to terms with his decision” and relations between P and his parents broke down.
They also heard that he has a history of mental health issues and self-harm, including drug overdoses.
The teen left home in September of last year to live in a ‘semi-independent’ home, where he cut off all contact with his parents.
A judge had accepted it was in his best interests to bar all contact with his family, accepting that it wouldn’t help his new life, and would harm his human rights.
However an official at Leicestershire County Council flouted the ruling, informing his parents of his transgender status and new identity.
The family court heard that “the impact of this wrongful disclosure on P was immediate and dramatic”.
In his judgment, Justice Keehan stated: “He felt unsafe at the unit and left. He first stayed with his girlfriend and then a number of residential units provided by the local authority.
“P’s mental health was very severely compromised: he made a number of suicide attempts and there were several cases of self harm.”
