The German government of Olaf Scholz has reached an agreement that paves the way for the simplification of the administrative procedure for people who want to change their gender, demanded for a long time by the LGTBI community in Germany, parliamentary sources reported this Saturday.
“As a parliamentary group of the SPD, we expressly welcome the fact that the self-determination law is finally moving forward,” Jan Plobner, spokesperson for the Social Democratic Party on transgender issues in the Bundestag, told AFP.
According to this agreement, revealed by the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, transgender, intersex and non-binary people must in future submit a simple self-declaration if they wish to change their name or gender mention in the civil registry.
Currently, the procedures are defined in this phase by a law dating from the 1980s, which de facto considers transidentity as a mental illness. Therefore, people who wish to change their sex must present two psychological expert opinions and it is the court of competent instance that decides.
The procedure is long, expensive and degrading for the people affected. “The undignified procedure” to which they are subjected “will soon be in the past,” Plobner stressed.
The agreement between the Ministries of Justice and the Family will allow the bill on self-determination to be completed, “so that the legislation can be applied soon,” said Sven Lehmann, government representative for the rights of the LGBT community (lesbians, gays, bisexuals). , transgender, queer, intersex and asexual).
As for minors under 14 years of age, only parents or guardians may initiate a procedure. A time for reflection has also been provided. Only after three months will the change of gender take effect in the civil registry. A new request to change gender will only be possible after one year.
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