"Human right": Paus defends self-determination law
With regard to the planned self-determination law, Family Minister Lisa Paus has emphasized that deciding on one's own gender identity is a human right.
"No one should have to endure lengthy court proceedings and psychiatric assessments just to be able to change their marital status in their passport," the Green politician told the German Press Agency. "The self-determined decision about one's own gender identity is at the heart of the federal government's draft law. After all, this self-determined decision is a human right."
The Bundestag will be debating the Self-Determination Act at its first reading on Wednesday evening. In future, every person in Germany will be able to determine their own gender and first name and change it in a simple procedure at the registry office. The law is primarily aimed at transgender, intersex and non-binary people.
The Federal Government's Queer Commissioner, Sven Lehmann (Greens), called on all democratic parties to "protect transgender people and defend their human dignity." In recent months, defamatory false claims have been used to deliberately stir up public opinion against the planned self-determination law, he told the German Press Agency. "Fears and insecurities must not be stirred up just to win votes. Instead of further inflaming the mood on the backs of those affected, I call on the CDU/CSU in particular to hold an objective debate on the law."
Union criticizes the draft
The deputy leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, Dorothee Bär (CSU), criticized the regulations on gender registration for children and adolescents, among other things. "Young people, especially girls, are uncertain about their gender identity, especially during puberty," Bär told Die Welt. "For this vulnerable group in particular, the Self-Determination Act encourages the tendency to counter age-related personality doubts with a legal change of gender." The law also no longer provides for mandatory assessments for young people.
The vice-chair of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, Andrea Lindholz, accused the federal government of passing on difficult decisions to the federal states or clubs: What rules would apply to changing rooms in schools or sports clubs, for example, remained unclear. This law "only creates legal uncertainty", she told the portal web.de.
In light of the criticism from some parties, Sven Lehmann, the Federal Government's Queer Commissioner, urged all democratic parties to uphold the human rights of transgender individuals and resist any defamatory misinformation against the Self-Determination Act. Lisa Paus, the Family Minister, will be present when the Bundestag discusses the Act at its first reading, and she believes that every German citizen should have the right to self-determine their gender and name without facing exhausting legal processes or evaluations by psychiatrists.
Source: www.dpa.com
