After a sometimes quite emotional debate, the German Bundestag gave the green light to the federal government's new self-determination law. Yesterday, the plenum voted by a roll call majority in favor of the law, which aims to make changing gender entries in the office much easier in the future than before.
The new law is supposed to make it easier to change your gender and first name in office. It stipulates that from November 1 of this year, people can make the corresponding change by submitting a declaration to the registration office. The previous obligation to provide a medical certificate and several related reports must be cancelled. There will also be no need for court decisions in the future.
Approval from the coalition and the left
The relief primarily affects transgender, intersex, and non-binary people who previously had to go through significant hurdles and costly procedures in order to change their gender identity.
With a total of 636 votes, 374 representatives voted in favor of the law. 251 deputies voted “no”, and 11 deputies abstained from voting. Support for the coalition law came from the leftist group. The Union Party, the AfD and the Sahra-Wagenknecht (BSW) alliance clearly refused to agree. Many LGBTQ community associations expressed great joy and relief at the Bundestag's decision.
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