Buffalo-based software engineer Dennis Hannon lost a seven-year-long legal battle to prevent his eight-year-old son from undergoing life-changing hormone treatment aimed at changing his gender. Hannon claimed the boy’s mother encouraged the transition, yet the boy was comfortable being male. The boy, Matthew*, has since reverted to his original male identity, but Hannon has lost the right to make medical decisions on his behalf.
The father alleged that Cannon School in Concord, North Carolina, where he served as a trustee, began dressing the boy as a girl as early as three years old. The mother then sought help from a “transgender affirming” therapist and sought puberty blockers for Matthew, a move Hannon discovered when he took his ex-wife to court.
Hannon is now only granted visitation rights every alternate weekend and for a few hours each week. Unable to appeal to regain full custody due to financial constraints, he criticizes the school and his ex-wife for pushing an agenda without exploring whether Matthew had gender dysphoria. Meanwhile, Hannon claims Matthew now identifies as a boy, and the transition experience has been challenging for him.
(* Name has been changed to protect privacy.)