UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women & Girls, Reem Alsalem, has called for parents of children who wish to transition their gender to be given greater rights.
Addressing the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, on a panel coordinated by legal advocacy group ADF International, Alsalem said that too often parents were “unsupported at best, or vilified, ostracized, or even separated from their children” if they did not take a “gender-affirmative” approach to their child’s wishes.
She added that it was “dangerous” to assume that children were able to make a fully informed decision to change their gender.
Also on the panel was Chloe Cole who underwent gender transition as a teenager but has now detransitioned. Cole took puberty blockers and testosterone at the age of 13 and had a double mastectomy at the age of 15.
She said, “I appeal to you: we must ensure these failures are never again repeated and that childhood is truly protected as the fragile and yet beautiful part of life that it is.”
She continued, “My mom and dad have always advocated fiercely for my safety and health, but were not empowered to fulfil their irreplaceable role as guardians of my well-being.
"On the contrary, their protective instincts were undermined by systems and professionals who claimed expertise but withheld the truth. They stood no chance when doctors gave them the false ultimatum of choosing between losing a daughter to suicide or having a living ‘son’.”
Cole’s testimony echoes comments by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has claimed that medical professionals told him his son was at risk of suicide if he did not transition to become female.
Giorgio Mazzoli, Director of UN Advocacy at ADF International, called upon international governments to enshrine respect for parental guidance in policies affecting children.
“The family must not be viewed as a competitor to the State, nor parents as obstacles to children’s rights. They are the children’s first and best guardians—entrusted by nature and recognized by law," he said.
