Norway to let 7-yr-olds change gender
The Local 25 June 2015
Children as young as seven would be allowed to change their legal gender under a bill proposed by Norway’s government on Thursday, bringing it one of the lowest ages for transgender rights anywhere in the world.
“This is an important area where Norway has lagged far behind many other countries for many years,” Health Minister Bent Høie said as he announced the plan during the Oslo Pride festival. “Now we can be proud that we are implementing this law.”
According to the Norwegian Health Ministry, most European countries only allow citizens to change the gender assigned to them at birth after they turn 18.
However, Richard Köhler, of the Transgender Europe lobby group, told Reuters that the “gold standard” was to have no formal limit, as in Malta.
“Generally it is very good to allow very young transpersons to have their gender identity respected,” he said.
Until April this year, Norway insisted that those seeking to change their legal gender undergo surgery, a practice which transgender activists argued was a violation of human rights.
http://www.thelocal.no/20150625/norway-to-let-7-yr-old-change-gender
http://www.thelocal.no/20150625/norway-to-let-7-yr-old-change-gender
