Gender self-identification
Date: 02 July 2021 Tags: Bills & LawsIssue
Spain has adopted a new legislation allowing individuals above the age of 14 to change their gender without medical examination or hormonal therapy.
Background
Gender identification is a very tricky concept. In most of the countries, a medical report is needed for changing the gender officially.
Details
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The current law in Spain mandates individuals to undergo hormonal therapy for two years followed by a psychological evaluation.
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The new legislation will remove all such requirements. Individuals between the ages of 14-16 years will still need parental approval.
Gender self-identification
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Self-identification concept believes that an individual must be able to identify their gender officially without facing a medical test.
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This demand has been prevalent across the world, including in India by liberal groups and also LGBTQ organisations.
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The existing process is lengthy and involves extensive therapy sessions and later a detailed mental diagnosis.
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In countries such as Denmark, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Greece, Ecuador, Luxembourg, Costa Rica, Malta, Denmark, Portugal etc allow self identification.
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In some countries such as Denmark, for gender change, a reflection period is needed. In Portugal, changing gender for a second time requires going to court.
Self-identification process in India
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Protection of trangender rights is done through Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 in India.
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An application has to be submitted to the District Magistrate for changing gender. Parents are also allowed to make the application.
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There are plans to set up welfare boards for transgender persons so that they will get better access to schemes for transgender.