Lorraine talks to transgender bride about the the backlash she’s received

A mum has won a court ruling that prevents her ex-husband from allowing their 15-year-old teenager to receive private gender-affirming healthcare treatment.

It is a landmark verdict in cases where divorced parents disagree about what treatment should be given to transgender children.

The High Court ruling allows the mother to stop her transgender child from being treated outside the NHS with private healthcare.

The verdict, made in August, sets a precedent ahead of a full hearing in the family division of the High Court next week.

Parents often turn to private healthcare for gender-affirming care for their transgender children due to the significant waiting lists on the NHS.

However, the mother in this case told the court that she feared her “beautiful, clever, funny, gender-non-conforming teenager” might be fast-tracked into life-altering treatment with puberty-blocking drugs if private treatment went ahead.

She praised the “cautious approach” of the NHS in treating transgender children as reassuring.

This “cautious approach” was set out this year with new NHS guidelines for young people with gender dysphoria.

The NHS said that these children should receive thorough psychological counselling before being offered puberty blockers or hormones.

NHS doctors also said to bear in mind that wanting to change gender might be a “transient phase”.

In a rare move, Mrs Justice Judd ordered that the mother, in this case, may publish details of the case for a crowdfunding appeal to raise £20,000 to pay for further legal action.

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In her appeal, the mother wrote: “My ex-husband and I disagree on whether our child should have access to medical gender treatment outside the NHS.

“I think that while there may be short-term psychological benefits associated with the administration of hormonal interventions to youth, they must be weighed against the long-term risks to bone health, fertility and other as-yet-unknown risks of lifelong hormonal supplementation.”

The mother wants to extend the order, which expires when her child turns 16, until her child is 18 “to ensure that my child receives appropriate care and treatment in accordance with the new approach of the NHS”.

Earlier this month, a coroner ruled that lengthy waiting lists that prevent transgender people from accessing care in the UK contributed to a decline in the mental health of a young trans woman who killed herself.

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The case of Alice Litman revealed that the 20-year-old trans woman had been waiting more than three years to receive gender-affirming healthcare when she died in May 2022.

Alice’s mother Dr Caroline Litman, an NHS psychiatrist for 12 years, said that “if the gender identity clinic continues to see new patients at its current rate, someone referred today would have to wait 20 years before assuming that first appointment”.

Tavistock, the only NHS gender clinic for children in England, is set to close by next spring and be replaced by regional services.

Tavistock revealed there were still 8,000 children under 18 on its waiting list.

The Samaritans can be reached round the clock, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

If you need a response immediately, it’s best to call them on the phone. You can reach them by calling 116 123, by emailing [email protected] or by visiting www.samaritans.org.

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