The father of a 7-year-old Texas boy whose mom wants him to transition to a girl will retain a say in any medical treatments, reports said Thursday — as the state’s attorney general called for a child abuse probe.
Dallas Judge Kim Cooks ruled Thursday that James Younger will remain under the joint custody of divorced parents Jeffrey Younger and Anne Georgulas, along with his twin brother, Jude, according to The Texan.
The ruling means both parents will need to sign off on any medical procedures for James, including any steps to transition his gender, the report said.
Georgulas, a pediatrician, claims that James is transgender, prefers to wear dresses and likes to be referred to as “Luna.”
But James’ father has countered that those tendencies are not the boy’s own preferences, but imposed on him by Georgulas.
A jury had previously ruled on Monday that Georgulas should be given full decision-making power for any medical procedures.
Cooks also issued a gag order barring Jeffrey Younger from speaking to the press.
Meanwhile, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called on the state’s Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) to investigate possible “abuse” against the child.
“According to public reports, the mother has already begun transitioning the boy by calling him a girl’s name and dressing him in girl’s clothes,” wrote Paxton in an open letter to DFPS head Trevor Woodruff. “[The mom] also reportedly intends to administer puberty blockers soon, which can cause chemical castration.”
Paxton noted in the letter that alleged “mental or emotional injury” ought to be investigated as readily as physical abuse.
“We ask that you open an investigation into this matter as soon as possible and act pursuant to your emergency powers to protect the boy in question [from] permanent and potentially irreversible harm by his mother,” wrote Paxton.
Texas pols including Gov. Greg Abbott have called for a probe of the case by the state.
Texas Republican US Sen. Ted Cruz also weighed in, commenting in a retweet of a Post story on the case.
“This is horrifying & tragic,” wrote Cruz. “For a parent to subject such a young child to life-altering hormone blockers to medically transition their sex is nothing less than child abuse.
“A 7-year-old child doesn’t have the maturity to make profound decisions like this.”