Canadian man sentenced to prison for disagreeing with sex change of his child

Struggles with Canada's medical and legal system ended with imprisonment.

The father of a transgender teenager was jailed for six months for revealing personal and medical information about his son despite a court order.

B.C. Supreme Court Justice Michael Tammen said the father had "grossly, willfully and repeatedly" violated the ordinances, and the punishment would serve as a deterrent to those who might follow his example.

The story began back in 2018, when a man tried to oppose his 14-year-old daughter's sex change. According to court documents at the time, she had already identified as male for several years and was receiving hormone therapy with the approval of her mother and doctors.

The child's father lost the trial, but he didn't stop. He was in custody last month and could have been charged with domestic violence.

A publication ban in family law cases is common to protect the privacy of a minor. The father was prohibited from giving interviews mentioning his real name and from publishing information about his son on the Internet. However, the man repeatedly violated this order. Many of the publications were later removed, but he also contacted the US media, which are not required to remove content at the request of Canadian authorities.

"He assured me that he couldn't get rid of his contempt completely," says Michael Tammen.

The man even set up an online campaign in his support, where he posted a video with his child's name and picture, and managed to raise at least $30,000 CAD. According to Tammen, few people go that far in opposing the court. The father's supporters argue that the court order violates his right to freedom of expression. But Tammen noted that he was able to give interviews without mentioning names or personal information.

The judge also shared a brief comment from the teen himself about the situation:

"I respected the court orders. I don't understand why my father shouldn't comply with them".

Neither the man nor his lawyer expected such a harsh punishment. The prosecutor's office had recommended a 45-day jail term based on the time he had been in custody last month, but the judge called such a sentence inappropriate. The court also ordered that the money raised during the online campaign be donated to a charity.