Since November 1, every person in Germany can change their gender, identify as diverse or genderless. A man from Hamburg named Casper tried the option and was surprised at how easily he could solve it. On November 11, she announced to the registry office that she wanted to be a woman. He said, “No prior medical consultation, no advice. I filled out six boxes and showed my birth certificate. That was it”
According to the Hamburg-based man, the administration took less than ten minutes, and after three prescribed months of reflection, he will be able to receive his new documents on February 13, officially naming her name Clara. Costs in Hamburg: €35.50 for the declaration, plus €18 per person for the issuance of a certificate and a new birth certificate. She doesn’t want to remain a woman, but wants to make another appointment at the registry office in a year to change from Clara to Caspar again.
In one month, 4361 people in Germany’s 30 largest cities exercised the new right. Since its introduction, this equates to around 100 gender reassignments per day. The capital is at the forefront of gender transitions, with around 700 completed gender transitions reported in the media as early as mid-December. Leipzig is next in second place with 430 changes.
However, hundreds of applications across the country have yet to be processed. The purpose of the law? According to the federal government, it is about “making it easier for transgender, intersex and non-binary people to register their gender and change their first name.”
Translated and edited by L Earth
