Dutch man can't legally lower his age, court rules

Emile Ratelband can not legally lower his age by 20 years, the court in Arnhem ruled on Monday. The 69-year-old positivity guru asked the court to lower his age to 49, because he believes he feels younger than he really is and faces age discrimination, NU.nl reports.

The court ruled that the law and jurisprudence give no room for adjustments to age. There is also no reason to make new jurisprudence, according to the court. "Mainly because all sorts of rights and duties, such as voting rights and compulsory education, are linked to age, while this is not the case with name and gender changes. Age limits would lose their significance if Ratelband's request is granted", the court said. 

Ratelband argued that his request is similar to transgender people changing their gender on their passport. He said that he is missing out on work because he is almost 70 years old, and his age gets in the way with his online dating. He is also "deeply insulted" because he gets state pension, according to the newspaper. 

The positivity guru will appeal against the ruling.

Ratelband's court case attracted worldwide attention. The BBC and CNN published articles about the Dutch man, and he was also mentioned on American television program The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.