California Moves to Place Girl for Adoption After Gender Transition Custody Dispute
The case highlights a contested custody battle in California centered on gender-transition refusal and denial of state intervention in parental rights.
REDDING, CA — California authorities have taken a teenage girl from her Ukrainian Orthodox Christian family after the parents refused to consent to a gender transition, with the state now reportedly moving to place the child for adoption. Alexandra Lyashchenko lost custody in 2024 following what she described as her daughter's sudden desire to transition. The family later relocated to Florida, as Lyashchenko says officials have also pursued custody of her younger son. The girl was placed in foster care and, according to her mother, housed in a setting that included boys, raising further concerns about whether she might have been abused there.
Lyashchenko has accused a California psychiatrist and the child's school of influencing her daughter's beliefs, including through online platforms, while stating that requests for testosterone treatment were refused by the parents. She claims the state labeled the family “culturally unfit,” and says they have spent nearly $500,000 in legal fees and were forced to leave their home. She also sharply condemned the officials involved, saying, “I want to see them in jail.” California policies such as SB 107, which expanded court jurisdiction in certain gender-related cases, have been cited by critics as part of a broader legal framework affecting custody disputes, alongside other high-profile cases in which parents have lost custody of their children over gender-transition disagreements in Virginia, Chicago, DC, Ohio, and Texas.
The case has drawn attention amid broader national debates over parental rights, child welfare systems, and gender-transition policies involving minors. Authorities have not publicly detailed the full circumstances of the custody decision, while the investigation and legal proceedings remain ongoing. Lyashchenko has continued to appeal for her daughter's return.
Previously, the UOJ reported that Patr. Porfirije addressed the gender ideology debate.
