Since November, People in Germany can request a gender and name change in their civil registry through an administrative procedure.after the approval of the Scottish Parliament The law of Gender Self-Determination. In this way, they will not need to be subject to a legal procedure or close interrogation, as is currently done.
The project, presented by Olaf Scholz’s centre-left coalition, This Wednesday they got 374 votes in his favor, 251 against, and 11 avoid in the Bundestag – the lower house of the German Parliament. Although it comes into effect on November 1, Starting in August, you can request a change to the schedule with confirmationbecause it will last three months until it takes effect.
At the same time, the new law replaces legislation from the eighties, which considered de facto transidentity like mental illness. In addition, the law previously stated that applicants had to submit two psychological reports to change their gender or first name. Furthermore, in the end, it was the competent district court that made the decision. However, parts of the regulations have since been struck down by the Federal Constitutional Court.
In this way, Germany joined the group of countries that accepted the principle of gender autonomy, such as Argentina, Uruguay, Belgium, Spain, Ireland, Luxembourg and Denmark.
In this regard, the chancellor Olaf Scholzthe leader of the coalition that unites the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Alternative for Germany (AfD) and Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), on his X account: “We show respect for transgender, intersex and non-binary people, without taking anything away from others. This is how we continue to advance the modernization of our country. This includes recognizing the facts of life and making them legally enforceable.”
The law also considers small matters. Lose under 14 years of age Those who want to change their gender and name in their civil registry must do the process with their legal representative (father, mother or guardian). If the person has between 14 and 18 years, you can make the declaration in the civil registry yourself, but you need the consent of your legal representative for its validity. A period of reflection is planned and only after three months the change in marital status is confirmed.
If there is any conflict, the family court must make the decision, but The criterion must be in the best interest of the minor, according to the recently approved document. The young person, or the parents, in the case of children under 14 years of age, must state that they have previously received advice. This counseling can be provided by a psychologist or by child and youth welfare services.
Although the regulations received several complaints regarding the age limit of 14 years, considered too low, German Family Minister Lisa Paus, indicated that “at 14 years, for example, You can also decide which religion you want to belong to.“, and therefore he believed that this law corresponds “just to the logic of German legislation.”
Nyke Slawik, one of the first transgender Bundestag representatives, advocated for the new law, which included He explained the procedure he had to follow to get a new identity document,y which took two years and 2,000 euros in bureaucratic costs.
“Our honor is always negotiable“, he said, regarding the “inhumane obstacles” he said transgender people face to be themselves.
“As a young man I would like to have such a law and This was one of the reasons I ran for the Bundestag.” he said.
