What happens when one parent in a marriage identifies as a transgender? Jessica Lynn, a transgender activist from the US, recounted her story of how she lost parental rights to her youngest son in a legal battle with her former wife because of being a transwoman.

Jessica, who runs an organisation called Your True Gender in California, was speaking at an event organised by the Centre for Law and Policy Research in the city.

She was born as Jeffrey in 1965 and from a young age she knew she wanted to be a girl. To distract herself, she engaged in outdoor activities and sports, later even got married in the hope that the desire would go away.

Jessica had three children with her wife before their marriage fell apart. In the first instance, a court in California ruled in Jessica’s favour and allowed her to have full custody of their three sons. However, just after her transition from male to female, Jessica’s wife filed a case in a Texas court for parental rights to their youngest son and she lost the case.

“Because of who I was, the Texas court decided that I would not be allowed to contact my own child. A 22-page document of a court-ordered evaluation said that I was the better parent. In spite of this, the judge ruled that I was not allowed to see my youngest son, speak to him or contact him in any way,” Jessica said.

“Through my organisation and through my talks in colleges, I want to educate people about transgenders. Youngsters who are in college now are going to be the judges, lawyers, and business owners of the future. If they are educated on transgenders now, they can be more sensitive,” she said.

This is Jessica’s first trip to India and she has visited several colleges in Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, New Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkata. “I have received a very positive response wherever I have been. In one institute in Bengaluru, after my talk, the dean personally met me to ask how he could make the college more accepting and inclusive,” she said.

Her youngest son will turn 18 years old soon and Jessica is hopeful that she will get to speak to him when she return to the US.

DH News Service

I was denied parental rights for being transgender, says Jessica Lynn