INFO:

Germany has just introduced a new self-determination act making it easier for trans people to change their names and genders on official records. From Friday 1 November, people aged 18 and older will be able to alter their names and genders or have the gender marker removed altogether on official records. There is a mandatory three month wait between applying and making a personal declaration, but the requirement for two psychiatric assessments has been scrapped. And the new self-ID law doesn’t just apply to adults. Minors over the age of 14 can change their name and gender with parental approval, and parents can act on behalf of younger children, so long as the child is present at the register office and gives their assent. Nyke Slawik, a German politician and transgender woman who helped negotiate the bill for the Green Party which was passed in April 2024, praised the historic moment. She said: “It's a sign of hope in times where right-wing populist voices are getting louder again and where there is unfortunately a rollback in many countries in terms of the rights of queer people”. Germany is now the 12th country in Europe to introduce legal self-ID legislation.