The Court of Appeal has ruled that it was “appropriate” for it to “keep an eye” on the case of a 16-year-old seeking to take hormones in order to transition to the opposite gender, so as to make sure the treatment is in the teenager’s best interest.
The case is murky, and has been deeply distressing for everyone involved. It’s been running for more than two years and involves “Q” – a 16-year-old who was born female, but who began identifying as male in 2020, when they were 12. Q wishes to transition to be a man. Q’s parents disagree on whether they should: the mother (referred to as “O” in legal proceedings) does not want Q to undertake any irreversible treatment before they’re an adult (aged 18), while the father, known as “P”, supports Q’s wishes. The court describes the relationship between the parents, who are divorced, as “acrimonious”. In a further complication, Q is now in relationship with the child of P’s new partner, who – like Q – was born female but identifies as male and is transitioning.
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