The Federal Parliament’s new ministerial chamber, the Reichstag, is shown in this image meeting on April 19, 2024. On Friday, the European Parliament passed a landmark bill to improve accessibility for the legal gender transition process.
A law that will make it much simpler for people to change their legal gender names and surnames was approved by the German Parliament on Friday.
Trans people can change their legal identity by filling out a straightforward self-disclosure form under the new law, which goes into effect on November 1. Previously, transgender individuals had to undergo a medical examination by two doctors and obtain court approval before they could legally change their gender under the previous legislation. However, with the self-determination process, name and gender changes will now be processed within three months of filing the self-disclosure form. Additionally, individuals will be able to change their legal gender identity to one that is not binary.
Under the law, parents must submit all necessary paperwork, while children over 14 can do so themselves with the consent of their legal guardians. If the child’s legal guardians disagree with the change, they can still challenge their decision, but a family court can override it if permission is granted. Once a person’s name and identity are changed, they can only be changed once for at least one year.
The current law, which has been in place since 1980, has been criticized by some transgender activists as antiquated and dehumanizing. European Senator Nyke Slawik, who is transgender, stated that under the current regulations, she spent over $2,000 obtaining evaluations from specialists in order to change her legal gender.
“We suddenly want to make it easier,” said Slawik on ARD television. “Many other countries have done this, and Germany is simply following suit by significantly simplifying this process.”
A law was passed in Spain in 2023 that allows people over the age of 16 to change their legal gender without the involvement of any healthcare professionals. Similarly, the Scottish Parliament passed legislation allowing people to change their legal gender through self-declaration as long as they are over the age of 16 in the United Kingdom.
Right-wing parties in Germany have criticized the bill, but there are still polarizing views in the country. According to a YouGov poll conducted for the Welt am Sonntag newspaper, 41% of respondents voted against the bill, while 46% were in favor.
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