Closing arguments took place nine days ago in Hamilton County Juvenile Court (Cincinnati) before visiting judge Sylvia Herndon.
Herndon will decide by February 16 whether to grant full custody to the grandparents of a transgender boy so he can pursue hormone therapy, which his parents oppose.
The now-17-year-old wants to transition in gender, but prosecutors say his parents deny he is transgender and have refused services from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Instead, one of their attorneys said Friday, the parents prefer therapy to “get to the underlying causes” of the teen’s desire to transition.
Want to guess what manner of "therapy" that may be? If you guessed "Christian-based," you win the cookie.
According to the complaint, in November 2016 the teen emailed a crisis hotline that one of his parents had told him to kill himself and refused to let him get therapy "unless it was Christian-based."
A Hamilton County assistant prosecutor who is representing Job and Family Services said the parents’ stance could lead the teen to suicide.
This child teeters on the edge of suicidal ideation.
--Assistant Prosecutor Don Clancy
JFS was granted temporary custody of the teen early last year and he was placed with his grandparents. Clancy said they “accept their grandson for who he is.”
A reasonable parent would never tell their own child to kill themselves because they were going to hell, anyway.
--Clancy
Karen Brinkman, an attorney for the parents, said that it appeared doctors with Children’s Hospital’s transgender clinic were “doing little more than experimenting on children to further their careers or bolster their reputations.”
The parents agree that the teen should continue living with the grandparents. They simply don’t believe hormone therapy is an appropriate treatment for their child. The parents’ religious beliefs are not a factor.
--Brinkman
The child testified in court that he was once forced to sit in a room and listen to Bible scriptures for more than six hours at a time.
You know, "Christian therapy."
A case involving the teen also is pending in federal court, although most documents have been filed under seal.
Everyone in the case, except apparently the parents is trying to prevent another Leelah Alcorn situation.