Family members who withhold money for gender transition or refuse to use preferred pronouns could be considered "abusive," according to UK guidance, making them susceptible to prosecution.
"Although not an exhausted list, some examples of how trans and non-binary people may be abused by intimate partners or family members include … Withholding money for transitioning [and] refusing to use their preferred name or pronoun," according to the UK's Code for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) used when considering domestic abuse offenses.
Former prosecutor and legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom UK, Jeremiah Igunnubole, said the new rules will put the police force and government officers "in the intensely difficult and inappropriate position of making politicised judgements against parents."
He also said the guidance will only further confuse the public and prosecutors because it fails to acknowledge that there is no legal obligation for anyone to use someone's "preferred pronouns" and that parents have the primary responsibility for the development and upbringing of their children as protected by international law.
"This is the latest misstep in a trend towards guidance which fails to give adequate weight to fundamental freedoms of speech, of conscience, of religion and more," Igunnubole said.
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"We urge the CPS to reverse this clampdown on parental primacy and the freedom of families to navigate these issues in the way they consider most appropriate," he added. "ADF UK stands ready to defend the rights of parents and families to speak and act in accordance with their conscience and in their children’s interests."
"Domestic abuse is a severe crime and leaves victims with a lasting impact," a CPS spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "Our guidance, which was updated following a public consultation, lists the types of abuse all victims face through physical and non-physical abuse. This assists prosecutors to ensure that any victim, regardless of who they are, can get justice for the abuse they have faced.
"The list is not exhaustive and should be used as guidance, when considering appropriate charges in line with our legal test," the spokesperson continued.