Unpublished Findings Indicate Higher Demand for Gender Identity Transitions than Anticipated by Federal Authorities
Following the enactment of the Self-Determination Act, it appears that a larger number of people are opting to modify their gender identifier than the federal government had predicted. By August's end, approximately 15,000 individuals across Germany had submitted such requests, as reported by "Der Spiegel" on Friday. Initially, the coalition backing the act projected around 4,000 cases annually in their legislation draft.
The Self-Determination Act was endorsed by the Bundesrat in May, empowering adults who identify as transgender, intersex, or non-binary to alter their gender identifier with a straightforward statement at the local registry office. The legislation will become enforceable on November 1, 2024, but those concerned may already register at their local registry offices as of August 1. Subsequently, a three-month hold period applies before the gender identifier can be officially updated.
For this data analysis, "Der Spiegel" obtained figures from 53 mostly randomly chosen municipalities. The dataset included rural communities, small and large cities from both Eastern and Western Germany. The data was then adjusted to mirror Germany's population distribution.
There are an average of 1.8 applications for gender modification per 10,000 residents in Germany, according to the data. Larger urban areas exhibit higher-than-average figures, with approximately 2.5 applications. Smaller cities and suburbs feature similar rates as the national average, with an average of 1.8 applications per 10,000 residents. In rural areas, an average of 0.9 applications can be expected per 10,000 residents. No significant East-West Germany disparities have been observed.
Those electing to modify their gender are also required to select a new given name if their original name does not correspond to their new identity. "Der Spiegel" reports that around 97% of individuals who have registered thus far intend to make this adjustment. Minors represent approximately 5% of the applications received thus far.
The Federal government, in its initial projections, anticipated around 4,000 cases of gender identifier modification annually after the enactment of the Self-Determination Act. However, the actual number of individuals opting for this change has surpassed expectations, with around 15,000 requests submitted by August's end.
Despite the federal government's estimates, the responsibility for implementing this change lies primarily with local registry offices, as per the Self-Determination Act.
