Germany’s socialist-led government has approved a new law making it easier for minors to legally change their gender — even against the wishes of their parents.
Under the so-called “self-determination law,’ children as young as 14 can themselves decide to change their ‘gender identity’ and name. Parents could be dragged to court, if they disagree.
“The new rules allow minors 14 years and older to change their name and legal gender with approval from their parents or guardians; if they don’t agree, teenagers could ask a family court to overrule them,” the Associated Press noted.
The opposition Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party is bitterly opposed to giving courts the power to overrule the parents. “The AfD wants to looking into “constitutional measures” [to overturn] the reform. The [party] considers it an encroachment on the parents’ right to raise as laid down in the Basic Law [Germany’s equivalent of constitution] if family courts were to decide on the gender change in case of minors,” the public broadcaster Tagesschau reported.
Germany’s state-owned DW TV reported the details of the proposed law:
German Family Minister Lisa Paus said a new law easing the path for individuals to officially change their gender had been approved by the Cabinet on Wednesday, hailing it as “a big moment” for transgender and intersex people.The proposed “Self-Determination Act” allows for changes to be made in a simple procedure at government registry offices.Paus said the reform served “to protect minorities who have been discriminated against for a long time and is socio-political progress.”Under current rules, individuals must submit two psychological reports to change the entries with a district court making the final decision. People who have gone through the process have complained that it is lengthy, costly and humiliating.”Everyone has a right to the state respecting their gender identity,” Justice Minister Marco Buschmann said. “The current law harasses transgender people. We want to end this undignified situation.”For children under 14, the parents would submit the necessary declaration to the registry office. Young people aged 14 and over can do this themselves, but only with the consent of their parents. A family court would resolve conflicts within the family.The reform would also prevent a person’s previous gender from being revealed against their will, under the threat of a fine.
While the German law itself does not ban ‘deadnaming’ or ‘misgendering,’ it apparently makes it a criminal offense to in some cases to mention a person’s previous gender or name. There is reportedly a heavy fine for ‘researching’ someone’s gender history without their consent.
“The proposal does mention a maximum fine of up to €10,000, but not for deadnaming or misgendering someone,” the French TV channel Euronews explained. “It’s actually for maliciously disclosing confidential information such as revealing someone’s previously assigned gender against their will.”
“According to the website of the German Ministry for Family Affairs, a person’s previously assigned gender should not be revealed or researched without the person’s consent,” the TV network added.
Under former Chancellor Angela Merkel, Germany legalized the ‘third gender.’ The law passed in 2018 allowed people to declare their gender as ‘diverse,’ or other than male or female. The move was cheered by the woke left and the mainstream media. “Germany’s third gender law is celebrated as a revolution,” the CNN reported. But they still complained that this wasn’t enough, lobbying for children to be allowed to determine their gender.
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