“Marginalized,” “powerless,” living in the “twilight zone.”
The parents of a trans teenager living in Geneva used these words to describe how they have been living in shock and fear for the past 19 months after their 15-year-old daughter was taken to court over objections to her granting of puberty. He was thrown out of his house by the orders of Blocker.
Now, they are fighting to protect his identity and prevent him from doing so under threat of criminal charges potentially irreversible changes To his body.
“This is not a human rights question,” the father told Fox News Digital. “This is a question of conducting medical experiments on children.”
Biden officials push to lower age limit on trans surgeries for minors: report
Now the parents of the 16-year-old – who wish to remain anonymous to protect their family’s privacy – claim they have struggled to fight the institutional powers that have accused them of parental abuse . Give your daughter alternative medicine,
On July 19, 2024, a court-ordered separation took place after the parents objected to their teenage daughter’s use of puberty blockers. (ADF International)
The tumultuous journey began when the girl met her parents in 2021 and told them that she identified as a boy.
“It was a complete surprise. She was 13 at the time, and she had never before displayed any inclination toward masculinity or any propensity for masculine behavior,” the father explained.
The father – who said he and his daughter were always very close – detailed how he came to this conclusion after difficult times for his family, when first his work required him to move abroad for several years and then coronavirus. The epidemic has come.
The pandemic forced schools to close, which meant increased isolation for children around the world and spending a lot of their time online.
“We told our daughter, ‘Okay, it’s surprising, but we’ll listen to you, and we’ll take medical advice. We’ll all learn together and make decisions together,'” he said.
On the recommendation of their child’s pediatrician, they took their daughter to the public children’s hospital of Geneva, where she was shown the “penis unicorn” and asked to identify different aspects of the image, after which they determined that It was said that she was a “gender unicorn”. Possibly experiencing gender dysphoria.”
Against the parents’ wishes, the school their child attended began socially transitioning their daughter and connected her with a transgender advocacy organization. (Getty Images)
The ward director then met with the parents and told them that the hospital was conducting “rigorous research” into the question of gender identity and that their daughter would undergo a “comprehensive and serious assessment”.
New Hampshire Senate passes bill that would ban trans athletes from including gender identity
The advice was to “support her in her identity” by allowing her to cut her hair, dress like a boy, and wear a breast binder if she so wished.
“And so, in the beginning, we did that. We followed the medical advice,” the father said.
However, after seeing a psychiatrist in the hospital for a few months, the parents were told that the next step for their daughter would be to start using hormone blockers – a medication that Prevents pubertal changes For the body, like breast enlargement.
Reflecting on her reaction to the psychiatrist, she said, “We are not at the stage where we would give any medication to our daughter.”
“We saw firsthand in our conversations with the hospital that there was no serious medical evaluation being done. It was simply, your daughter has pointed out these elements on the gender unicorn, and therefore, she is a boy because She says so,” he added, noting that he then sought out a private psychiatrist.
In response to questions from Fox News Digital, Geneva University Hospital (HUG) said they could not comment on individual cases, but said that in cases of gender dysphoria the hospital “promotes communication between the child and his or her parents.” For” works.
Nicolas de Saussure, the hospital’s spokesperson, also said, “HUG does not push any patient towards legal or medical transition, but rather guides them in their individual journey according to their values and preferences, citing existing scientific data and international recommendations. supports.” ,
According to a statement sent to Fox News Digital, the hospital has received approximately 100 minors suffering from gender dysmorphia, about half of whom have started hormonal treatment after reaching the age of 16.
However, the father described a feeling of frustration over the lack of adequate medical care and support the parents felt for their daughter and their family – a frustration that marked only the beginning of what would become a struggle. Doing so will become a long and arduous journey. To maintain your parental rights.
“Billboard Chris” is an international activist known for wearing a sandwich board that reads “Children cannot consent to puberty blockers,” July 19, 2024. (ADF International)
Against the parents’ wishes, the private school their child attended began “socially transitioning” their daughter and connected her to a transgender advocacy organization.
When their daughter turned 15, a school psychologist – whom she had seen in addition to the private psychiatrist hired by her parents – approached the Swiss Child Protection Agency (SPMI) and claimed that the minor had been abused by her “transphobic” parents. Need protection from father. His continued objection to puberty blockers.
She explained, “The school was facilitating meetings between our daughter and (the transgender advocacy agency), and our daughter and SPMI – not only without our knowledge, but fraudulently because they were marking her absentee forms as such. She was doing school activities,” he said. Fox News Digital. “We later found out she wasn’t. She was out of school meeting with (transgender advocacy group) and meeting with SPMI.”
The school, which Fox News Digital has not named to protect the family’s anonymity, rejected allegations that it did anything untoward and said, “The school follows Swiss law and complies with the decisions of child protection authorities.” Is.
A school official said, “We deny all allegations made otherwise,” though did not directly answer questions about how the child was marked absent.
Ultimately, based on alleged mental and physical health concerns, a Swiss court decided that their daughter should be placed in a supervised home run by social services known as “Foyer” – where the now 16-year-old daughter lived in a Has been living for more than a year.
“International law recognizes that no child shall be removed from his or her parents against their will, except in cases of abuse,” Dr. Felix Boellmann, ADF International’s legal adviser, said in a statement.
The father told Fox News Digital that he and his legal team are still not clear what abuse was identified to allow his daughter to be removed from her home.
In response to questions from Fox News Digital, Swiss officials from the Republic et Canton de Geneve said they would not comment on “individual situations” but would provide a broader response on Switzerland’s legal system.
“SPMI respects parental authority, unless the exercise of this authority would endanger the child concerned, in which case it is up to the judge to decide what is in the best interests of the child,” the communications officer said. “ Constance Chaix said. “No child is removed from his or her parents because of lack of consent to transition.”
“No child is held because of lack of consent or opposition to treatment,” Chaix said.
A series of battles ensue as the parents desperately try to maintain a relationship with their daughter and return her home.
But as their daughter grows up, the fight becomes more difficult.
A girl holds a transgender pride flag during a pride march in Madrid, Spain. (Luis Soto/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
In Switzerland, minors are allowed to legally change their name and registered gender at the age of 16, leading her parents to fear that it would make it so easy for her to physically make the change.
“We have met many other parents and children who have been victims of abuse and now regret their living conditions. And we are against these institutions,” he said, referring to the court, the school and the SPMI. They argue that they have not taken an evidence-based approach when it comes to minors experiencing gender dysphoria.
He added, “Of course, our inclination was not only to follow the doctor’s advice, but LGBTQI — everyone — we support that.” “But as we began to become educated about gender identity, we began to understand that it was not a question of sexual orientation, but of cosmetic surgery, hormones, and other Frankenstein-like experiments on children.”
Father says Switzerland’s education system puts trans kids on “a pedestal to be more courageous in some way” Affects hasty decisions Like puberty blockers which can have permanent consequences.
The effects of hormone blockers are reportedly reversible, although government institutions such as the UK’s National Institute of Health have noted limited research on their use in children, and unknown long term effects This may affect physical development such as bone density or reproductive health.
Click here to get the Fox News app
“We need to start making decisions based on facts and evidence rather than radical, harmful ideology,” the father said. “This is not a question of human rights. This is a question of conducting medical experiments on children.”
“I want him to come home so we can get him back on a healthy path,” he said. “For his well-being and that of his entire family.”
