Jeff Younger, 59, who has worked for years to prevent his son James from undergoing what he describes as harmful and irreversible procedures, told the Washington Examiner he intends to appeal a court decision Tuesday that paved the way for his ex-wife, Anne Georgulas, who contends James wants to identify as a girl, to begin transitioning him.

“I can go up on appeal in California, and that’s where I’m headed next,” Younger told the Washington Examiner two days after Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mark Juhas cleared the way for James to begin gender transition procedures. 

Younger added that he is willing to take the matter to the California Supreme Court and that he could seek Supreme Court review if necessary.

The case has captured national attention since 2018. Georgulas, a pediatrician, sought a restraining order to prevent Younger from entering James’s school and referred to their son as male. Georgulas asserted that James identified as female, preferred the name “Luna,” and enjoyed wearing dresses. Younger countered that James behaved like a boy when they were together, sparking a contentious legal battle over custody and decision-making rights regarding the child’s upbringing.

A series of rulings in Texas courts initially granted both parents joint custody. However, in 2020, Judge Mary Brown awarded Georgulas sole custody while requiring her to seek Younger’s consent for medical procedures related to gender transition. That restriction was effectively nullified when Georgulas moved to California in 2022 and invoked the state’s protections under Senate Bill 107, which shields parents seeking “gender-affirming care” for their children from out-of-state legal interference.

Younger said he is only allowed to visit his two sons, James and Jude, under supervised visitation, which he said he fundamentally disagrees with, arguing there “has never been any finding of abuse or neglect” against him.

“I don’t understand why the government entities, the courts, the legislatures, the Supreme Court of Texas, all the places where I’ve been, none of them have protected my son. I just don’t understand what is wrong with America, that nobody will stand up and protect this boy who’s in a position of power to do it,” Younger added.

Younger said the procedures being considered for James, such as puberty blockers, estrogen treatments, and possible surgeries, are not supported by credible medical evidence as effective treatments for gender dysphoria in children. He has cited testimony from psychiatrist Miriam Grossman, who contends that James does not meet the criteria for gender dysphoria and that such treatments could cause irreversible harm.

This legal battle has unfolded against the backdrop of a broader cultural and legal debate over transgender healthcare for minors. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) issued an opinion in February 2022, making clear that certain medical procedures related to gender transitions could constitute child abuse under state law. Meanwhile, under California’s Democratic leadership, the state has positioned itself as a sanctuary for families seeking access to these treatments, escalating tensions between states over parental rights and child welfare.

Younger is hoping for a Golden State appeals court to grant a stay of Juhas’s decision in order to temporarily bar his son from undergoing transgender procedures. However, he’s also calling on President-elect Donald Trump to become more directly involved in addressing his case.

Trump “can stop and decertify these hospitals and make them stop doing these barbaric practices on children, [he] could literally save my son’s life,” Younger said.

During a Moms for Liberty event in August, Trump vowed on “Day 1” of his administration to issue a sweeping executive order “instructing every federal agency to cease the promotion of sex or gender transition at any age,” in addition to promising protections for biological females competing in sporting events from facing off against biological males.

As Younger prepares for the next phase of this high-stakes legal battle, the Supreme Court is poised to wade into the case Skrmetti v. United States next month, which could directly affect parents such as Younger. The dispute surrounds the Biden administration’s challenge to a Tennessee law that bars patients under the age of 18 from undergoing treatments such as taking cross-sex hormones.

Do No Harm, a nonprofit advocacy group raising awareness of the unintended harms that can come from transitioning minors, filed an amicus brief in Skrmetti last month that included data revealing nearly 14,000 minors received transgender-related treatments between 2019 and 2023, including nearly 6,000 procedures involving invasive surgeries.

Younger said further attention by the incoming Trump administration to his case and similar cases “is going to save thousands of children.”

“And it needs to be done. It needs to be a priority, and it needs to get done immediately,” Younger said.