“A great time for transgender and intersex people. »
This is how Lisa Paus, German Minister of the Family, welcomed the adoption of a child on Wednesday 23 Augusta bill on “gender self-determination”.
Supported by Olaf Scholz’s centre-left coalition, the text aims at this ” facilitate gender and name reassignment in marital status for transgender, intersex, and non-binary people »the minister’s services said in a press release.
Changing the gaze on transience
While the text still needs to be presented to Parliament before going into effect, it could prove game-changing for transgender, intersex and non-binary people as it will replace 1981 legislation that still considers transience in the country as a mental illness.
Even today trans, intersex and non-binary people who wish to change gender must undergo two psychological tests and answer a questionnaire with intrusive questions about their sexuality. It is then up to the judge to decide whether or not to validate the gender change.
With the new law, the procedures will be greatly facilitated since it will be enough for the interested parties to do so fill out a declaration with the civil status to effect the change of name and/or gender.
The new text also specifies that for minors under the age of 14, only parents or guardians can initiate a procedure for changing the marital status. Those over 14 can take the steps on their own, but with parental consent.
Finally, a reflection period of 3 months it will be granted to individuals before their change of marital status is validated. At the end of this period, applying for a sex change will only be possible after a year.
Protest between conservatives and transphobes
While LGBTQI+ associations have welcomed the bill, this has not been the case for the conservative opposition, who believe that gender reassignment should only be possible after consulting experts and that the process should be reserved for adults.
Some German feminists hostile to transgender people, such as journalist Alice Schwartzer, have also argued that the law risks encouraging young people to switch genders because it is ” fashionable “.
Self-proclaimed “radical feminists” (TERFs) have also argued that the law risks helping potentially violent men access spaces reserved for women. The fears were set aside by the minister Lisa Paus, who assured it self-determination “already exists in other countries (…) without there being the slightest indication of abuse”.
Gender self-determination has already been adopted in Belgium, Spain, Ireland, Luxembourg and Denmark.
Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
