NY Post, Others Aid Transphobic Father’s Abusive Crusade

Jeffrey Younger, whose abusive treatment of his trans daughter resulted in him losing unsupervised visitation, has a new story to keep his attacks on his ex-wife and daughter in the headlines. Despite his history the right wing media are all too happy to help.

by Evan Urquhart

a white outline of a hand against a crayon rainbow background

Abusive father turned anti-trans activist Jeff Younger has once again succeeded in getting a biased version of his custody dispute with his ex-wife into the right wing news. The stories, all of which include his transgender daughter’s dead name, incorrect pronouns, and photos of her dressed as a boy, center Younger’s biased and sensationalized version of a story which the courts have repeatedly shot down. Younger has done this before, but his latest pretext is claiming that he fears his ex-wife, Dr. Anne Georgulas, will violate a court order which bars her from allowing daugher Luna, 9, to medically transition without Younger’s consent. Younger recently appeared on Tucker Carlson tonight to repeat this baseless claims, despite a Texas court already having ruled his fears were “entirely speculative” and based on a misreading of California law.

We first looked into Younger’s back story when a piece on NPR linked to an outdated piece of news, written before Younger lost all custody and visitation rights. In 2019 a judge initially gave joint custody to both Georgulas, who affirmed Luna, and Younger, who did not. However, after observing Younger’s abusive treatment of the girl, a later judge awarded sole custody to Georgulas in 2021. A ban on Georgulas seeking gender affirming medical treatment for Luna was and is the only concession to Younger’s transphobia that remains. In fact, Younger’s treatment of his daughter and ex-wife were so bad that he cannot see his children without court supervision. This was necessary to stop Younger from repeatedly cutting his daughter’s hair against her will.

The right wing media’s treatment of this story has gone from reckless and misleading to unconscionable. Rather than covering a news story they are colluding with an abusive father, helping to further his harassment of his ex-wife and trans daughter. Although the facts of the case have clearly and repeatedly vindicated Georgulas in court, there seems to be no recourse for the family because the right wing media has decided they prefer Younger’s version of events regardless of the truth. This has led to story after story where Luna is referred to by a name she does not use, misgendered and called Younger’s son, with pictures supplied by Younger of Luna dressed as a boy with short hair being run over and over again. Her ability to live a private life is being taken away by a cruelly transphobic father, and right wing media outlets show no recognition of the abusive dynamic they’re playing into by repeatedly platforming a bitter, hate-filled father who can’t even be safely left alone with the 9-year-old child at the heart of the case.

Aiding in the abuse and harassment of a child might seem too low even for right wing media, but as we’ve learned there seems to be no bar you can set that these transphobic propagandists won’t fail to clear.

Evan Urquhart

Evan Urquhart is a journalist whose work has appeared in Slate, Vanity Fair, the Atlantic, and many other outlets. He’s also transgender, and the creator of Assigned Media.

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