BERLIN (AP) — German lawmakers on Friday approved legislation that will make it easier for transgender, intersex and nonbinary people to change their name and gender in official records.
The “self-determination law,” one of several social reforms that Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s liberal-leaning coalition government pledged when it took office in late 2021, is set to take effect on Nov. 1.
Germany, the European Union’s most populous nation, follows several other countries in making the change. Parliament’s lower house, the Bundestag, approved it by 374 votes to 251 with 11 abstentions.
The German legislation will allow adults to change their first name and legal gender at registry offices without further formalities. They will have to notify the office three months before making the change.
The existing “transsexual law,” which dates back four decades, requires individuals who want to change gender on official documents to first obtain assessments from two experts “sufficiently familiar with the particular problems of transsexualism” and then a court decision.
Oracle bone script art exhibition unveiled in South Africa
Rustle these up with Rosemary: Carrot cake with orange buttercream and walnuts
I lost everything I owned in a storage unit fire where I stored my possessions after a break
Jennifer Lopez bares her washboard abs in a tiny grey crop top and low
7 Minnesotans accused in massive scheme to defraud pandemic food program to stand trial
Masterful meals: Masterchef 2010 champion Dhruv Baker's cherry and hazelnut chocolate roulade
Rihanna shows off her wild side in a low
Chinese scientists use machine learning for precise Antarctic sea ice prediction
Food writer baffles This Morning viewers with tips for cheap lunches
US opens investigation into Ford crashes involving Blue Cruise partially automated driving system
Why Kate Middleton waited to announce her cancer diagnosis