NEW: Washington DC military family lost custody of their 16-year-old autistic son after refusing to allow his gender transition and is now suing a major hospitalThe son is now 19 years old and still in foster care‘To me, this is personal. My son is autistic, and if you tell him you are a penguin he will tell me he is a penguin’ The father saidThe family said their son never showed a desire to become a girl until, at 16, he was hospitalized for self-harming after breaking up with his girlfriend in 2021Staff at Children's National Hospital told the family that he wanted to be female and should be referred to using she/her pronouns, according to the lawsuitHis army veteran parents, from Prince George County, Maryland, rejected this, saying their son was "impressionable" because of his autismThey accused the hospital of launching a “full-on campaign to transgender this child” and claimed that staff engaged in “mental re-programming”The lawsuit alleges that the hospital used emergency policies to keep the boy in its care and reported the parents to child protection servicesThe family is seeking up to $100million in damages and cover for their legal costsNOTE:- The first picture is of the family.- The second picture is of Hospital Chaplain Lavender Kelley, who is believed to be currently caring for the child