text: A 16-year-old who was born a girl but identifies as a boy has been granted the opportunity to go through male puberty after years of living in misery. The transgender boy, who has felt as though he is living in the wrong body since he was a child, has been given permission by a Brisbane-based judge to receive testosterone injections, the Courier Mail reports. During a Family Court hearing, judge Michael Kent was told the teen had considered suicide and gone to extreme lengths such as binding his chest by wearing tight bras and starving himself because he was so unhappy in his female body. The teen has been taking puberty blockers for a year, has worn a boy’s uniform for two years and most of his friends are male. ‘I had the mentality of a dude... not the mentality of a girl,’ the teen told her therapist during a counselling session, the court heard. Scroll down for video . A 16-year-old who was born a girl but identifies as a boy has been granted the opportunity to go through male puberty thanks to hormone treatment . The Queensland teen is just one of many young Australians who have to seek permission from the Family Court and prove they are making an ‘independent’ choice before they can be granted second-stage gender-changing hormones. Currently a child wishing to change gender has to apply to the Family Court for this second stage of treatment after they have first taken puberty blocking hormones. Before a child is given any treatment at all they are assessed by at least five doctors. An official diagnosis of gender dysphoria, which describes people who are significantly unhappy with the sex and gender they were assigned at birth, also needs to be given by psychologists and physicians. Family Courts then assess the extent to which a child’s wishes “reflect true, stable and independent choices” – using the Gillick competency test - before they grant permission for gender-changing hormones. A child wishing to change gender has to apply to the Family Court for the second stage of gender changing treatment . Teens must be 16 years old before they can go to court to ask for this second stage of treatment. In Australia, that task is said to be made easier through the appointment of independent children’s lawyers and the commissioning of family reports, as well as through the use of expert evidence. However, in November 2014, Family Court Chief Justice Diana Bryant told the ABC’s Four Corners documentary that she would like an examination into whether courts needed to be involved at all. In the show, Jamie, a 14-year-old transgender girl, agreed:‘I don't think it's necessary that we have to go back to the court so they can decide if I'm Gillick competent, because that's just up to the parents and doctors I think. ‘They will make just as good a decision as anybody, even better because they're the experts.’ If you or anyone you know is in need of support, contact Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14, Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or visit BeyondBlue.
target: Queensland teen was born a girl but wears a boy's school uniform .
  He has lived in misery for years and has even contemplated suicide .
  A Brisbane court was told 'I have the mentality of a dude'
  Teens must be 16 years old before they can  ask for hormone jabs .
  The injections are the second stage of gender changing treatment .
  A  child is  assessed by at least five doctors before treatment is given .