Germany gives a green light for third sex on birth certificates
The German National Assembly has adopted a law that opens for a third gender on birth certificates for newborns who are not clearly male or female.
Newborns with intersexuality must be registered in the “miscellaneous” category on German birth certificates.
The decision in the Bundestag on Friday is a follow-up to a ruling by the Supreme Court of November 2017, where it was said that the current civil status rules are discriminatory against persons born with intersexuality. An individual’s sexual identity is protected as a fundamental right pointed out the court.
Intersexuality is a broad definition that includes people with gender features such as genitalia or chromosomes that do not fit a typical definition of male or female. Sometimes intersexuality is apparent at birth, sometimes firstly during puberty.
The law that Germany has now adopted also opens for the possibility of changing gender and name at a later date in life, but in most cases, it will be necessary to undergo a medical examination.
According to the United Nations, between 0.05 and 1.7 per cent of the world’s population have the medical condition of intersexuality.
© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today
