Fighting to let a boy be a boy

James Younger wears boy’s clothes and climbs trees when he is with his father. But when the 9-year-old boy is with his mother, he wears dresses and attends school and dance classes under the name “Luna.”

Since October 2019, former spouses Jeffrey Younger and Anne Georgulas, both of Texas, have shared joint managing conservatorship over their children. Each of them has a say in legal decisions over James and his twin brother, Jude. The twins live predominantly with Georgulas, who is embroiled in a bitter dispute with Younger over their custody, schooling, counseling—and James’ gender identity.

On Aug. 11, Dallas County District Judge Mary Brown canceled a scheduled hearing and held a private conference instead with lawyers representing each of James’ parents. Logan Odeneal, Younger’s lawyer, said no ruling was issued. Georgulas’ attorney, Jessica Janicek, did not respond to my request for an interview. The lawyers and parents are under a court-imposed gag order, so I could not verify some of the claims posted to the Save James Facebook page and have circulating in the media, including that Brown reversed the joint managing conservatorship or denied Younger’s attempt to homeschool the boys. Brown has scheduled an evidentiary hearing for Sept. 25.

The case, which has gained nationwide attention in recent years, highlights the complicated nature of joint managing conservatorships, in which, according to Holly Draper, a Texas family law attorney, “parental rights may or may not be equal, it really depends on the case … it’s very judge-specific.”

Months after Texas District Judge Kim Cook granted the joint managing conservatorship, Georgulas’ attorneys successfully motioned to have Cook removed from the case. Brown replaced Cook in January and upheld the court arrangement that Georgulas and Younger must agree on any medical and dental procedures, medications, and mental health treatments for the boys, according to court documents.

But questions remain about whether Brown will grant Georgulas more decision-making power as she continues to present James as a girl at school and extracurricular activities while seeking out “gender-affirming” medical and psychological care—all against Younger’s wishes.

Brown in June ordered Younger to pay for counseling services for himself, James, and Jude. In an interview with Erin Brewer, an activist who overcame gender dysphoria as a child with the help of thoughtful adults, Younger claims the counseling cost up to $5,000 per month. He added that he has no choice in the therapists they must see, all of whom have been transgender-affirming.

Younger also attempted to withdraw James and Jude from a public school and homeschool them. But the boys remain enrolled in a Coppell, Texas, public elementary school, where teachers and classmates refer to James as “Luna,” according to George Genovezos, Younger’s friend who runs the Save James Facebook page.

Georgulas, a pediatrician, maintains that James has communicated a persistent desire to be a girl since he was 3. Under her care, a transgender-affirming therapist diagnosed the boy with gender dysphoria.

But Younger believes Georgulas has manipulated James into identifying as a girl. He said his son, on his own volition, “presents as a boy to everyone except his mother.” Without court intervention, Younger argues Georgulas will put James on puberty blockers and eventually cross-sex hormones without his consent. A therapist already has referred James to a gender clinic in Dallas.

“It’s tragic. It’s terrible,” Genovezos said. “There are no words for it. This is an abuse I have never seen or heard of before.”