Tag Archives: Denmark

Denmark’s Groundbreaking New Ruling in EU Trans Rights Battle

Gender and identity is a tricky and complicated subject for many around the world. While many of us understand that it’s incredibly important for a person’s gender to be recognised (whether they aren’t cisgendered or if a person doesn’t identify with the male/female binary), in plenty of places around the world issues such as a person’s chosen pronouns and gender presentation aren’t recognised or respected and in many of these same places, the sexual organs that you’re born with are the only defining facets of your gender. That’s not the case though and the physical and the mental sides of sex and gender respectively aren’t mutually exclusive, especially for those who don’t necessarily identify with the male or female identity that the doctor’s assigned them at birth. But in order to change the gender listed on these formal documents it can be a tricky process, but thankfully for those looking to change their gender on legal documents in Denmark, things just got a whole lot easier.

That’s thanks to new legislation in the European country as changing the gender on your legal documents no longer requires you to undergo sex reassignment surgery, a move likely made to reflect the fact that more and more people realise that your physical self has no affect whatsoever on just what you feel your gender is. Too, you also don’t have to be diagnosed with “Gender Identity Disorder” as Denmark are doing away with that part of previous proceedings which bizarrely added to the stigma that trans* men and women already face. Sterilisation is also no longer required which is also great news. Now, all that’s required is a statement explaining that you’d like to change the gender on your legal documents and a 6 month “reflection” period.

Support didn’t end there either as Denmark’s Interior Minister Margrethe Vestager says that the decision “will make life easier and more dignified for the individual” while ILGA-Europe (International Lesbian and Gay Association Europe) co-chair Gabi Calleja called it “another significant change in Europe” comparing it to Denmark’s monumental decision in 1989 in which it became the first country in the world to introduce a legal concept of same-gender marriage. So while the fight for trans* rights is far from over, Denmark’s change is huge and should be lauded and with support like that the future for trans* rights in Europe looks incredibly hopeful.

Source: RTE News.