The Erie Supreme Court has denied a father of medical authority over his 8-year-old son, Daily Mail reported Friday.
Dennis Hannon faces the reality of losing his right to participate in significant medical decisions for his son. The issue at the heart of this seven-year-long ordeal was the proposed initiation of hormone therapy for Hannon’s eight-year-old son, a treatment aimed at facilitating a gender transition which Hannon vehemently opposed, according to Daily Mail.
The Supreme Court’s decision effectively stripped Hannon of his ability to influence his son’s treatments. He was only allowed a mere few hours of visitation each week, Daily Mail reported. “It’s been a nightmare,” Hannon said, according to Daily Mail. “It’s completely destroyed my life.” Due to financial constraints, he was unable to pursue further legal recourse.
New York father loses legal battle to stop his son, 8, from taking puberty blockers to change gender https://t.co/JFb3EFh1h8 pic.twitter.com/mbNkaVNwp5
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) February 2, 2024
Hannon initially saw some changes in his son’s attire. His ex-wife reportedly started dressing their 3-year-old in feminine clothing after their separation in 2015, the outlet reported. Despite regular visitations, Hannon was unaware of his child’s dual identity. At his home, his son went by Matthew, but with his mother, he was Ruby. (RELATED:All But One State Sees Massive Surge In Gender Dysphoria Diagnoses, Report Finds)
An incident in 2019 left him confused after he received a kindergarten letter for ‘Ruby Rose Hannon’ with female pronouns.”I thought they had mailed it to the wrong address,” he said. “I was the last to know [about the transition]. He was on the fast track to puberty blockers.”
It wasn’t until 2020 that Hannon learned of his ex-wife’s decision to consult a therapist specializing in transgender care. She allegedly pursued puberty blockers for their child, an action taken without his knowledge, Daily Mail reported. His exclusion from his child’s gender exploration journey. Despite these developments, there was no formal diagnosis of gender dysphoria for his child, a condition marked by significant discomfort from a disparity between one’s experienced gender and assigned sex.
A family in Montana recently faced the loss of custody of their 14-year-old daughter under the premise that her mental health could only be ameliorated through gender transition, a decision facilitated by Child Protective Services.