Being transgender can be a tricky thing. Many trans people have tried to go through the transition but failed. It can be frustrating for them, and it can be frustrating for their parents, too.
You might not know much about being transgender, but chances are you know someone who has been or is going through changing their gender.
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Trans-friendly countries for teens
This article will give you insider tips for helping transgender people achieve their dreams.
Countries such as Brazil and Thailand have been leaders in gender reassignment surgery for many years, but what about the enlightened liberal EU countries leading the way in transgender recognition, especially for teens?
Spain and Germany are moving forward with plans to legally ease restrictions on changing gender.
A committee in Spain’s government has passed a bill allowing trans people to change their names and gender on official documents without approval from a judge or other government agency.
New trans-women would no longer need to undergo a two-year transition of taking hormones to legally change their name or gender marker.
Minors can legally apply to change their gender if their parents allow it, which is important for us here at teentempo. Teenagers could apply for transgender recognition changes just as adults do. Children between the ages of 14 and 16 will need their parents’ help. Trans children between the ages of 12 and 14 will need the help of a judge to change their genders.
If home countries don’t give those rights, non-Spaniards who live in Spain will be able to change their name and gender on official documents.
Protection under the law for transgender recognition.
Several changes would help ensure that trans people are protected. Doctors are not allowed to perform conversion therapy on children and adults. They would ensure same-sex couples access to reproductive technology and that trans people have equal pay and benefits.
If Spain were to ban conversion therapy, it would join many European countries that have already banned the practice. Last year, Greece became the first country to ban conversion therapy, but critics noted that it still allows certain procedures to be performed on minor patients, provided that they give their consent. According to rights advocates, children could be forced to go to treatment centres by family or religious leaders.
Spain will ask the country’s top legislative body to approve its Bill after it is sent to the Spanish parliament. The country wants to show that lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans lives matter by allowing minors to legally change their names and genders.
The minister of equality in Spain said that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transexual people don’t need any treatment to live happy and healthy lives.
Germany eases the path to transgender recognition
Germany eased restrictions on people who wanted to change their name or gender on their government documents. Germany’s minister for family affairs, women and youth, Lisa Paus, made a proposal that would allow people with valid identity cards to change their names and gender marks at their local government offices — without requiring any of their relatives to grant them permission. Minors should have the right to change their names and genders by giving their parent’s approval.
Currently, if someone wants to change his or her gender, he must be assessed by two physicians who are commonly familiar with the particular problems of homosexuality. Some states force people who wish to legally change their names to seek court approval before doing so.
Paus told reporters that obtaining legal permission to change names or gender markers for adults is too lengthy and expensive and that people who try to get the government to help them are humiliated.
German law includes fines for those who disclose a person’s gender identity or change their name without their permission. Germany plans to give financial compensation to transgender and intersex people who are victimized by other laws that prevent them from changing their name or gender, as well as to those who suffered from forced marriages or wrongful imprisonment under previous laws that prevent them from changing their names and genders.
German judges recently ruled that laws that would have required transgender people to have divorces, sterilizations or surgery to prove that they were a woman would be able to have a man’s body. It was already decided in 2008 that it was illegal to force trans women to get divorced and have surgery to confirm their gender. It was also not until 2011 that the requirements for these procedures were removed. 10,000 people were forced into marriages or had gender surgery during the eight years that the law was in effect, according to a study by the German advocacy group BGT.
According to the Associated Press, the proposal will be submitted to the German parliament later this year. Regardless of what happens, it will have to be approved by Germany’s lower house of parliament, the Bundestag.
There are nearly 20 countries in Europe with laws that allow women to make their own decisions. Several countries in Europe have laws that allow people who are trans to have their bodies recognized. Ireland, Norway and Portugal are the nations with these names. The rights of trans people to be able to choose their gender without having to go through a complicated legal process are supported by the United Nations and Human Rights Watch.
Scotland & transgender recognition
Scotland would be the second country in the world to allow anyone aged 16 or 17 to legally change their gender; this is only the second country in the world to do it. The parliament recently unveiled legislation allowing children to be recognized as men without parental consent or medical evidence. Many other countries allow children to legally change their genders, but none of them is as protective as Scotland is, according to documents released in connection with the Scottish Bill.
Shona Robison, the SNPs social justice secretary, said that extra support and guidance would be given to those aged 16 and 17 who made applications to become officially recognized as gender-neutral.
There’s a possibility that teenagers could have a conversation with officials at the National Records of Scotland to learn more about the process, but there’s no requirement for them to do so.
Clearly, the Scottish government believed teenagers should have the protection they deserve.
The Rowling row loses its magic.
JK Rowling – the Harry Potter author – is worried about proposed legislation that would force parents to agree to children being allowed to legally change their gender. She fears new laws will harm women who are the most vulnerable in society. Her outspoken opinion has led to her being castigated by many in the LGBT community.
Rowling says the proposed laws will hurt the most vulnerable women in society.
If a woman is born in Scotland or has been adopted or lives in a family that has it, she or he can legally change her gender. This will mean that there would no longer be any need to get a medical certificate from a doctor and that people would no longer have to live in their new gender for as long as possible.
Feminists say that the proposals, which allow men to change their legally recognized gender by affirming that they want to become female, will damage women’s rights and leave them vulnerable to abuse by predatory men.
So whilst Scotland is leading the way in LGBT services and support for Scottish teens, the path is not as clearcut as we might like.
Final thoughts
The teenage years can be very difficult when you have doubts about your gender, and it is always important to talk about your concerns with someone you trust. If you do decide that you wish to live under a different gender, it is vital that legislative and health authorities make it as trouble-free as possible.
In this article I have avoided talking about gender identity amongst teens in the UK largely because of the ongoing scandal around the now defunct Tavistock Trust. The dust has yet to settle and there are still ongoing concerns concerning the Mermaids charity. I will return to these topics in depth, later in the year when all the hype has blown away.
Here at teentempo, we are LGBT-friendly and proud to have community members write for us and support our new site.
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