Autistic boy ruled OK for sex change by family court

   * Sperm to be kept in case boy wants children
   * Boy so desperate to be girl he had become suicidal
   * His father had enjoyed "dressing up" as a girl

AN AUTISTIC schoolboy has been granted court approval to begin treatment to become a woman - on the proviso the teenager has his sperm frozen in case he wants to have children in the future.

Ruling on an emergency application by his parents in the Family Court, Justice Linda Dessau backed the wishes of the 16-year-old - who was given the pseudonym "O" - to begin drug treatment before puberty fully takes hold, reported The Daily Telegraph.

Justice Dessau said that the boy, who suffers from mild Asperger's syndrome, was mature enough to know what he wanted.

She added that her decision was backed by his parents, six specialists and the boy's independent lawyer.

The judge said the boy would have his sperm collected and stored because of concerns the female hormones would affect his ability to have children.

The judge's decision is not unprecedented. Six years ago the court sparked outrage when it allowed 13-year-old girl "Alex", from a troubled family, to begin hormone treatment to become a man.

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Last year Alex, then 17, was given permission to have a double mastectomy. And in another case, a 12-year-old girl was also allowed to take hormones to live life as a man.

In the case of O, the court heard he comes from a loving family who "adore and respect him". His 14-year-old sister, whose clothes he secretly dressed in, was also supportive.

The judge has held the case in unprecedented secrecy to protect the boy's identity.

She has not only suppressed his name, which is mandatory, but also those of his lawyers, his doctors, the hospital where he will have his treatment, the city in which the court sat and the file number of the case.

Justice Dessau said the boy had so desperately wanted to be a girl that he had become suicidal and once ingested lead solder at school.

The boy's father had enjoyed dressing up as a girl but he said he "grew out of it".

The parents thought the same thing would happen to O but, at the age of 14, he told them he was revolted by his male body.


Read more: http://www.news.com.au/national/autistic-boy-ruled-ok-for-sex-change/story-e6frfkvr-1225977521818#ixzz19THofbs8p