
Chaos in Germany, 100 people a day register to change gender under new law
Around 100 people a day in Germany have notified the authorities of their wish to change their registered gender and name since November 1, when the Self-Determination Act (SBGG) came into force. But the state is already being asked to address the "holes" that are creating in terms of justice.
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Under the new legislation, a citizen can theoretically register a different gender and a new name every 12 months. The Bild newspaper even reports the testimony of 28-year-old Kasper, who, wanting to be registered as a woman, filed the appropriate application with the Hamburg registry office on November 11.
"There was no prior medical information, no advice. I filled out six forms, showed my birth certificate and that was it," he says.
His appointment is scheduled for February 13 to receive his new ID card, with the name "Clara." It only takes ten minutes and 35,50 euros to have it certified and a new birth certificate issued. Interestingly, however, the 28-year-old says he doesn't want to stay a woman for long, but intends to submit a new application and become a man again and "Casper" when the 12 months are up, in order to test the process in practice.
According to Bild, from November 1st until the end of the year, more than 4.361 people filed appropriate applications using the new legislation. The most applications were filed in Berlin, followed by Leipzig, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dresden and Bremen.
Some are already trying to take advantage of the opportunity given to them by the law to avoid being punished by the courts.
Sven Liebich, known for his neo-Nazi activity over the last decade in Saxony-Anhalt, was sentenced last August to 18 months in prison without parole for inciting hatred and defamation.
As part of the appeal process, he requested a postponement and applied to a municipality in Saxony to change his gender and name, which was granted. In his new court appearance, Sven Liebich was now Marla-Svenja Liebich and said he feared discrimination in prisons. As reported by the Mitteldeutsche Zeitung, questions are now being raised about the prison to which the defendants will be sent if the verdict becomes final.
A spokesman for the Halle prosecutor's office said that "there is no automatic mechanism for transferring a man to a women's prison because he has changed his gender and name" and that the issue would have to be considered on a case-by-case basis. But he clarified that administrative records are of secondary importance, as the natural person who committed the crimes remains the same and must serve the sentence in any case.