Change Gender Easier

Men who feel like a woman and women who feel like a man can now easily change their gender on their birth certificates, diplomas and travel documents. A majority of the Tweede Kamer lower house of Parliament agreed to the proposal from State Secretary Fred Teeven (Security and Justice).

People who are ransgender no longer have to undergo operations or hormone treatments, and they do not have to be infertile in order to change gender. An expert is still required to affirm someone's transgender instincts before the civil registry can carry out the change of gender. This can now be completed without a ruling from a judge.

Teeven's proposals were met with resistance from the strict Protestant Calvinist opposition party SGP and the populist anti-Islam party PVV. Although the SGP takes the matter very seriously, the party does not think “a man as a mother is normal”. Simultaneously, the PVV questions what must happen “if you feel younger" than you are. Registration must resemble the facts, the party stated.

Teeven also said he believes it is too early to reduce the minimum age for a transgender declaration from 16 to 12, when responding to questions from Members of Parliament. He also claimed that most people struggle with their own identity in their puberty years.

A request by the Tweede Kamer to examine what can be done for people who intrinsically feel as though they are both man and woman will be taken into accountby Teeven. Thus far, non-notification of gender is not possible, especially while traveling.