Lawsuit: St. Louis Co. let teen undergo gender change without mom's consent

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Minn. (KMSP) - A mother filed a lawsuit against St. Louis County in Minnesota and other agencies for usurping her parental rights over her 17-year-old child, who she claims has been receiving transgender services and narcotic drugs without her parental consent.

According to the lawsuit, Anmarie Calgaro claims the county and other agencies handled her child as an emancipated minor, although the child has not legally been emancipated.

"Why wasn't I even notified? I feel that my constitutional rights have been stripped from me," Calgaro said at a press conference. "If this had been a child custody case, I would've had my day in court. I'm firmly committed to what is best for my son. I'm his mother, and he has always been and always will be welcome in our home."

The lawsuit alleges that Minnesota law provides no way for Calgaro to challenge the emancipation status, which is a violation of her rights as guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution. She is being represented by attorneys from the nonprofit public interest law firm, the Thomas More Society, along with Mohrman, Kaardal & Erickson, P.A.

The defendants in Calgaro’s lawsuit are St. Louis County, St. Louis County Public Health and Human Services Director, Fairview Health Services, Park Nicollet Health Services, St. Louis County School District, Principal of the Cherry School and her child.

In the lawsuit, Calgaro argues her parental involvement has been "repeatedly circumvented" as it concerns her child.

According to a press release, in June of 2015, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid Clinic advised the then 15-year-old that they were emancipated without a court order; however no legal action has been taken to terminate his mother’s parental rights. 

Two medical service providers, Park Nicollet Minneapolis Gender Services and Fairview, provided the teen medical treatment for a sex change from male to female and for prescribed narcotics, respectively. The medical services and were paid for through St. Louis County Public Health and Human Services.

Additionally, the school district is “classifying the boy as an adult with exclusive rights to information and decision-making and denying Calgaro access to his educational records or any legal authority to affect his educational decision-making,” according to the statement. 

The teen’s application for a name change was denied by the St. Louis County District Court because of the “lack of any adjudication relative to emancipation.”