Is it true that in Germany they will allow gender reassignment once a year?

News has spread in the Russian media that German citizens will be allowed to change their gender once a year, and the law will affect both adults and children. We checked if this is true.

Dozens of Russian media wrote about a new German bill that will allow citizens to change gender once a year. Many articles are especially notethat even children will get this opportunity. RIA FAN writes: “The German government will allow children to change gender once a year.” And the headlines of the articles "VK Press» And "Morning South» report that "'prosperous' Europe has allowed children to change gender twice a year." This news also caused a stir in social networks And messengers.

News about a bill allowing gender changes annually according to a simplified scheme, appeared in the German media back in February 2021, when draft law was leaked to ultra-conservative websites. The bill has not been officially published, and the government has commented that such discussions are ongoing, but reform is not expected in the near future.

Trapped on the Internet document — “Bill to repeal the Transgender Law and introduce a Self-Determination Law” — dated June 10, 2020. The first paragraph states that the new Self-Determination Law (SLA) is intended to replace "Transsexual Law" (ZTS), which is already more than 40 years old. According to the document, the lower German Constitutional Court has already declared certain provisions of the TPA unconstitutional six times. According to current rules, a person wishing to change their gender and name must go to court and receive two expert evaluations from court-appointed psychotherapists. These forensic experts must confirm that the applicant:

• identifies with a gender that is opposite to that assigned at birth;
• for at least three years had a need to live in accordance with his gender identity;
• with a high degree of probability will not change his sense of belonging to the other sex.

This process is usually takes several years and costs several thousand euros. Many consider the TPA to be outdated, demeaning and discriminatory.

In May 2021, the Bundestag held vote on the adoption of the ZSO. Of the 709 parliamentarians, 17% voted in favor, 64% voted against, and 19% abstained or were absent. The two largest parties in parliament, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and the Christian Democratic Union (CDU/CSU), voted against. SPD explained this is because the bill needed improvement.

At the end of July 2022, at a federal press conference, representatives of two German ministries again announced about plans to introduce a law on self-determination. Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (Free Democratic Party of Germany) and Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth Lisa Paus (Green Party) presented concept, according to which any German citizen over 14 years of age would be able to change his gender and name once a year through a simple procedure at the registry office. It is worth clarifying that we are only talking about changing the name and gender in documents, and not about surgical gender reassignment or hormonal therapy. According to the proposed law, parents will be able to apply for children under 14 years of age. And from the age of 14, minors themselves will be able to apply to the registry office, but also with the consent of their legal representatives. The “no more than once per year” limit is to ensure that a person makes an informed decision. Bushman and Paus hopethat by the end of 2022 the bill will be approved by the cabinet before it goes to the Bundestag. If he successfully passes the parliamentary procedure, the new procedure for changing gender and name could come into force in the second half of 2023.

However, several representatives of Bundestag parties have already spoken out against it. Andrea Lindholz of the CDU/CSU said, that the right to annual sex change without any restrictive conditions is absurd. And Stefan Brandner from the far-right party Alternative for Germany added: “The laws of the constitution must not ignore the laws of biology.” Together these two parties form 38% of parliament.

Thus, reports from most Russian media about gender reassignment in Germany are mostly correct - work on such a bill is really underway. However, it is still too early to say categorically whether German citizens will be allowed to change gender once a year and under what conditions. The authors of the bill also coming consultations with interested associations and the cabinet of ministers, and then consideration in parliament, where not everyone approves of a simplified procedure for gender reassignment.

Cover image: Pride flag (rainbow) and transgender flag (white, pink and blue). Wallpapers.com

Half-truth

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