A Texas father lost custody of his son this week because he did not agree that his 7-year-old son, James, should undergo a social and physical transition to become a girl.

Jeffrey Younger petitioned a court for sole custody of his twin sons after his wife, Anne Georgulas, began consulting doctors about treating James, who now refers to himself as “Luna,” with hormone replacement therapy. James’ age makes him impressionable, Younger’s lawyers argued, and his mother should not have the right to alter his life irreversibly simply because he enjoys playing with feminine toys and wearing dresses.

James also doesn’t meet the scientific criteria necessary to be diagnosed with gender dysphoria, as Younger’s lawyers pointed out. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition, a child with gender dysphoria must display six of eight characteristics that prove he or she possesses a different gender identity, and they must display distress when that gender identity isn’t affirmed. James has never expressed anxiety or frustration about being a boy, according to multiple witnesses, and should therefore not be treated for gender dysphoria, Younger argued.

“There is some fluidity in his thinking,” Dr. Benjamin Albritton said in his sworn testimony on behalf of Younger. “Neither child appears to be depressed, anxious or aggressive … [James] gave no indications of other significant psychological difficulties.”

But the court decided differently and granted sole custody to Georgulas, who will now move forward with a “medical transition” using puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones — in other words, chemical castration.

At question here is whether Younger’s refusal to affirm James’ gender identity — or perhaps more accurately, the identity Georgulas gave to him — is enough to keep him from his son. Transgender activists have argued that it’s more than enough, labeling Younger an “abusive” father who doesn’t care about the mental or physical well-being of his child.

In fact, it is precisely because Younger cares about his son’s mental and physical well-being that he took his wife to court. Younger understands that his son who is only 7 years old, is not even old enough to decide what he’d like to do for a living when he grows up, let alone whether he wants to be chemically castrated according to his mother's wishes. There will be confusion and perhaps even regret in James’ future as he wrestles with the consequences of a decision he probably won’t remember making. Younger wasn’t trying to hurt his son; he was trying to help him.

But this is the logical conclusion of the transgender movement: Affirm our agenda or lose your rights to freedom of speech, association, conscience, and even your parental rights. Transgender activists are now bullying their way into the courtroom to force parents to raise their kids as the transgender movement sees fit, and they’re using custody battles to do it.

Parents troubled by this case are right to be concerned. If the rejection of extreme transgender ideology qualifies as child abuse, what else might? This is a slippery slope that transgender activists are all too eager to push us down. They aim to define the rules and force families into submission. And if that doesn’t work, they might just take your kids away.