The 7-year-old in Texas at the center of a custody battle that has attracted national attention after his mother sought to have him medically transition into a girl reportedly decided to attend elementary school this week dressed as a boy, according to a recent Facebook post.
The child’s father, Jeff Younger, petitioned a Texas court last month for sole custody of his twins, James and Jude. He said it was an effort to prevent their mother, Dr. Anne Georgulas, from allowing James to begin hormone replacement therapy. Georgulas, who works as a pediatrician, says the child is transgender, identifies as a girl, wears dresses and goes by the name “Luna.”
According to the group Save James, which advocates against the child undergoing a medical procedure to change his biological sex, the child opted to attend elementary school and church this week dressed as a boy. The group posted a picture showing the child in a button-down dress shirt and pants.
“Going to school. This is what it looks like when JAMES gets to choose! * Affirm this! *” Save James wrote on Monday. The page added an update that said the boy’s father, Jeff Younger, “emailed the principal today and James and Jude’s teachers had reported that there was zero stress or disruptions in the classroom today. Just another day in school 🙏 Prayers answered.”
The post also included a picture of the twins—both dressed in suits – standing with their father before attending church on Sunday.
Jeff Younger said he believes his child is a happy boy and a “social transition” or “medical transition” would not be in his best interest, The Texan reported. The child’s mom, who is divorced from the father, initially filed a petition for joint conservatorship, which required Younger to affirm the child’s identity by using the name “Luna,” something recommended by the child’s therapists. In response, Younger filed for sole custody. A jury later returned a verdict in favor of Georgulas.
In a pivotal decision last month, a Texas judge Judge Kim Cooks went against a jury’s ruling, making the final call that the two parents should share joint custody of their twins. Georgulas responded this week, filing two new motions Tuesday for Cook to first conform with the jury’s verdict to grant the mother sole custody, and then to step down from her position, The Texan reported.
Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, announced before the judge’s ruling last month that the state attorney general’s office and Department of Family and Protective Services were looking into the case. It was unclear how closely the page Save James is affiliated with Jeff Younger. The page aligns with the views of some conservative lawmakers who have pledged to outlaw medical gender transition in Texas before the age of 18, according to Dallas Morning News.
