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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Abigail O'Leary

Transgender teenager removed from parents who 'refused to allow them to transition into boy'

A transgender teenager was removed from their parents who allegedly refused to allow the youngster to transition into a boy.

A judge ruled the parents were "abusive" in their refusal to allow the 15-year-old, born female, to transition.

The case came to the attention of Australian authorities when the teenager began posting suicidal thoughts online around a year ago.

The teen was officially taken into care after a state Children's Court magistrate made a protection order in October and cited the teenager's risk of self harm.   

According to the Weekend Australian, the parents say they grieved the loss of their child and said they had been subjected to bullying by authorities.

The parents said they were left grieving for their child (stock image) (Getty Images)

The father told the publication: "(The authorities say) we will not allow her to change gender, so it's dangerous for her to come back to our house because we will mentally abuse her - they want us to consent to testosterone treatment."

The couple reportedly claimed they were aware their child had been depressed and needed help but wanted to seek help from an independent psychlogist.

The parents said authorities were encouraging them to consent to testosterone treatment (Stefan Boness/Ipon/SIPA/REX/Shutterstock)

They allegedly wanted a psychologist to consider underlying causes of the depression and look into 'non-invasive' treatments.

Queensland University's dean of law Patrick Parkinson said he believed the teenager's removal on a gender-identity basis was the first of its kind.

Lawyers for the parents filed an appeal and it is now understood authorities have agreed to the parents' request for a second opinion before any decision on hormonal treatments.   

Their lawyer said: "It's controversial because different doctors can come up with different diagnoses and different treatments, so for parents to seek a second opinion before going along with irreversible treatment is wholly appropriate."

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