"I Want to Live as a Woman"... Over 22,000 Change Gender in 9 Months After Germany Grants Gender Self-Determination Rights

33% Male to Female, 45% Female to Male
Side Effects Include Far-Right Figure's Gender Change Incident

It has been reported that more than 22,000 citizens in Germany changed their gender within nine months following the implementation of the "Self-Determination of Gender Act," which allows individuals to select and register their gender without court approval.

More than 22,000 citizens changed their gender within nine months after the implementation of the "Self-Determination of Gender Act," which allows individuals in Germany to register their gender without court approval (photo is for illustrative purposes and unrelated to the article content). Pixabay

According to a recent report by the German media outlet Stern, the total number of people who changed their gender from November of last year, when the law took effect, to July of this year surpassed 22,000. In the first two months after implementation, 33% of those who transitioned changed from male to female, while 45% changed from female to male.

This law allows anyone aged 14 or older (including minors with the consent of a legal guardian) to change their gender and name through administrative procedures without a court decision. The four available gender options are male, female, diverse, and unspecified. Gender reassignment surgery, psychiatric diagnosis, or court approval are no longer required. The German government completely overhauled the system, judging that the previous procedures led to unnecessary human rights violations.

However, some issues have emerged since the system was implemented. Sven Liebich, a far-right activist, sparked controversy after changing his gender to female ahead of his imprisonment and insisting that he should be incarcerated in a women's prison. He maintained his beard, wore lipstick and earrings, and described himself as a "female human rights activist persecuted for political reasons." Liebich's case is known to have exploited the fact that the law does not mandate incarceration location based solely on gender.

The new system was introduced under the progressive "traffic light" coalition government, led by the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Green Party. Friedrich Merz, the Chancellor and leader of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), pledged to abolish the system during the general election. However, after forming a coalition with the SPD in May of this year, he agreed to maintain the system until July of next year and to review its impact on children, adolescents, and women.

The German government emphasizes that the purpose of this law is to strengthen individuals' rights to determine their gender and to reduce unnecessary discrimination and human rights violations that may arise from previous procedures. However, attempts to abuse the system and ongoing social controversy are expected to persist in the future.