Victory for Trans Teen After Judge Awards Custody to Supportive Grandparents

A trans teen will be under the care of his supportive maternal grandparents after an Ohio judge denied custody to the child's transphobic parents, the Associated Press reports.

The 17-year-old was suffering from depression and anxiety, and was deemed a suicide risk, possibly because his father refused to accept his gender identity nor allow his transition. A juvenile court judge in Cincinnati ruled on Friday that the child should be under the care of his maternal grandparents, who support his transition and are prepared to allow him access to hormone therapy. The judge did rule that the youth must see a psychologist before he can begin hormone treatments.

The teen's parents had sent him to Catholic School where he was forced to wear a dress and referred to by his dead name. The teen obviously objected and his father reportedly told him to kill himself because he was "going to hell anyway."

Even though the parents fought for legal custody they said they would still allow the child to live with the grandparents because they were fearful their son would "warp" his siblings. The judge's ruling allows the grandparents' control of the child's decisions, which includes hormones and his presentation in the gender he identifies with.

In his closing statements, the grandparents' attorney said, "What we want to do in the coming months around May is plan for a high school graduation, throughout the summer and fall, plan for entrance into college. We don't want to be planning for a funeral."