Father Who Sued to Prevent His Teen from Receiving Sex Change Treatments Could Face Jail Time
A Canadian father who has been unsuccessful in blocking his 15-year-old daughter from receiving hormone treatments to become a transgender boy is now facing jail time for talking to the media about the case, a move that could also land an independent journalist behind bars as well.
LifeSiteNews reported the action came after journalist Laura Lynn Tyler Thompson, a Christian broadcaster from Vancouver, posted an interview she did with the dad, known only as “CD” in court papers.
A judge had earlier issued a gag order forbidding the publication of any information that could identify any parties to the case, such as the teen, parents and several medical experts involved in the lawsuit, including a psychologist and a pediatric endocrinologist. Thompson ultimately removed the video, but copies are still available on several sites.
The dad filed suit last year trying to stop doctors from injecting his then 14-year-old girl with testosterone. During those court sessions, CD argued against the treatments saying his daughter suffered from emotional distress and depression since her parents’ 2013 separation. He added she was not mature enough to understand the long-term ramifications of the hormones treatments and had been unduly influenced by transgender activists.
On Tuesday, British Columbia Supreme Court justice Michael Tammen referred the matter to the province’s attorney general to consider prosecuting the two for criminal contempt of court. During the March 9 and 10 court hearings, attorneys for the teen acknowledged they were not acting under the direction of their client in their pursuit of criminal charges against the father.
A second journalist, Dan Dicks of Press for Truth, also posted an interview with the CD, but it is not yet known what action the court might take in that incident.
“It’s judicial activism, weaponizing the court to achieve a political agenda,” Kari Simpson of Culture Guard told LifeSiteNews. “The public has lost confidence not only in the rule of law but the administration of justice.”
Culture Guard, a pro-family activist organization, was earlier involved with the case.
“This story is about what happens when the public loses confidence in the rule of law,” Simpson said. “Is the real issue here the conduct of the court or the conduct of the father? Look what they did to him. It’s the court that has brought itself into disrepute, not what Laura Lynn or the father is doing.”
Although journalist Thompson admitted to being shocked by the possible criminal referral, she said she stands by her actions.
“I feel that there is a call from the Lord on my life, to sound the trumpet and sound the alarm on what they are doing,” she said.
“If I ever had to go to jail, I can’t think of a more perfect reason than this. Are we going to be silent in the face of our nation sterilizing and mutilating teenagers? I will not be silent. We will not bow.”
Judge Gregory Bowden ruled a year ago that the dad’s refusal to refer to his daughter as a boy, coupled with his opposition to the treatments, constituted “family violence.”
In April a second judge, Francesca Marzari, went a step further by issuing a protection order banning the father from referring to his daughter as a girl or using female pronouns when referring to her, under penalty of immediate arrest and jail. The order also included a media gag order. Ultimately, a B.C. appeal court ruled the father had not committed “family violence.” But new conduct orders were issued in January requiring the dad to only use the male name and masculine pronouns when speaking to his daughter, according to The Christian Post.
Another case involving a father trying to stop similar treatments for his son, played out last year in Texas after a jury originally denied the dad joint custody of his son because of his objections to the prescribed treatments. As Christian Headlines reported, a judge later overruled the jury and awarded joint custody of the child.
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Bulat Silvia
Lori Arnold is a national award-winning journalist whose experience includes 16 years at a daily community newspaper in San Diego and 16 years as writer-editor for the Christian Examiner. She owns StoryLori Media and is a member of the Evangelical Press Association.
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