Over the past few months, more and more men have been posting on Spanish social media about their desire to change gender for practical reasons. Some say they want to increase their chances of obtaining custody of their children, others want to pass the women’s competitive exams to become a firefighter or police officer more easily, or avoid complaints of gender violence. Their discourse, akin to that of the far-right Vox party, quick to attack gender equality laws and LGBTQ collectives, was initially perceived as a simple provocation.
Until, at the end of February, a report in the daily El Faro de Ceuta made the national media sit up and take notice. Since the “law for the equality of trans people” came into force in March 2023, 47 people have changed “sex” in the civil registry in the Spanish enclave on the Moroccan coast; of these, 39, mainly military and police personnel, have changed from male to female. LGBTQ associations were quick to point to a possible fraudulent application of the law.
“There can be no fraud in the law, since the law is based on self-perception and contains no requirements. Those who question the gender condition I claim should be careful: We’ve already filed a complaint for transphobia against the National Federation of Gays, Lesbians and Trans, a woke association that criticizes us for not changing our appearance,” explained, with the utmost seriousness, David Peralta, a 37-year-old Madrid “policewoman,” secretary and co-founder of the Non-Normative Trans Association, to which most of Ceuta’s policemen-turned-policewomen belong.
Long called for by transgender people, but also highly controversial, particularly within the feminist movement, the “trans law” recognizes the principle of “gender self-determination.” Anyone can freely change the “sex” on their identity papers, by a simple request. Previously, it was necessary to have undergone hormone treatment for two years and to have a medical certificate of gender dysphoria. In order to “depathologize” the transition, it is now sufficient to make a simple declaration to the registry office, and to repeat it three months later. Since March 2023, 5,139 people have completed this procedure, four times more than in 2022 (1,306). 63% of the transitions have been from male to female.
‘A happy country without men’
In David’s case, she changed sex in the civil register six months ago, while retaining a masculine appearance and first name, like the other members of her association. “There are around 1000 of us members, and 80% of us are police or military officers,” she explained, assuring us that she hasn’t gained any benefits from her gender change. “There are no advantages to being a woman once you join the police force. On the other hand, to get in, the physical tests are much easier: so I encourage all candidates to change sex.”
