A High Court judge has ruled that a religious mother does not need to be told about her daughter's gender dysphoria.
The Telegraph reports that the young girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, did not want her mother to know about her gender dysphoria because of fears that she would disown her.
The girl, identified only as G, is in foster care with her sister following allegations that the mother had used "implements" such as belts and slippers in the "unlawful and unreasonable chastisement" of her children.
Although she is in foster care, G continues to see her mother, who was not informed of the High Court proceedings, the newspaper reports.
In a written ruling, Mrs Justice Theis, of the High Court's Family Division, said that as G had a history of self-harming, it was possible that informing the mother of her struggles with her gender identity might put her at further risk of harm.
The court was asked to decide on the case by representatives of the council social services responsible for G who were unsure about their legal obligations in respect of the mother's right to know.
According to court papers, G feared her mother's reaction after the pair had a conversation about her gay friend in which her mother's response was to "re-state her religious views and her disapproval of such choices".
Mrs Justice Theis said that G could make her own decisions and that the council did not have to inform the mother if this was against her wishes.
"In this case the declaration sought is limited to the therapeutic intervention, which is a matter, in my view, for the professional judgment of the local authority in considering whether 'it is reasonably practicable' to ascertain the wishes and feelings of the mother in this case," she wrote.
