A father trying to stop his 7-year-old son from transitioning to a girl has been thrown a lifeline by the judge.
Earlier this week, it appeared as if Jeff Younger had lost his legal bid to stop his son James from becoming a girl after a jury found in favour of his ex-wife Dr Anne Georgulas.
Younger turned to the family court in Dallas, Texas, to stop the transition after his son James expressed a desire to become a girl. James already identifies as 'Luna' in school and is addressed using this name by teachers.
James' transition has the support of his mother, Dr Georgulas, who was awarded sole managing guardianship of James and twin brother Jude by the jury on Tuesday.
Dr Georgulas, who is a pediatrician, claims that James has gender dysphoria and that her view is supported by therapists, who recommended that the child be allowed to wear dresses and be called Luna.
Younger disagreed with the approach being taken by Dr Georgulas and claimed during the trial that his ex-wife was manipulating James into wearing dresses and telling the child that "monsters only eat boys", the Daily Mail reports.
The dispute came to court after Dr Georgulas last year sought to have their joint custody arrangement changed to include a requirement that Younger start calling James by the name of Luna.
In response, Younger petitioned the court to grant him sole custody of the children in a bid to prevent James transitioning.
In a podcast interview earlier this year with Christian political consultant Luke Macias, Younger claimed that his child "violently refuses to dress as girl at my house".
He said that allowing his son to transition to a girl "is not just emotional abuse but is the very most fundamental form of sexual abuse, tampering with the sexual identity of a vulnerable boy."
He also said he expected that the courts were "not going to be fair" to him.
However, on Thursday the judge presiding over the case, Kim Cooks, ignored the jury's verdict and ruled that the parents are to have co-conservatorship over James, LifeSite News reports.
This means that Younger will be able to have a say in the medical treatment of his son.
However, the judge imposed a gag order on both parents stopping them from speaking to the press about the case, meaning that Younger will have to close down his campaign website, Save James, which he has used to raise funds for his legal battle.
