Spain passes new transgender bill, allows people above 16 to legally change their gender

If passed into law, the reforms would allow those over 16 years of age to change their legally registered gender with greater ease. It was approved by 188 lawmakers, while 150 voted against it. It has now moved to the Senate for final approval.

Spain’s lower house of parliament has passed a law allowing people over the age of 16 to change their legally registered gender without any medical supervision, putting the country on track to become one of the first few to allow transgender people to change their status with a simple declaration.

188 legislators voted in favour of it, while 150 against it. The Senate will now decide whether to approve it. Within weeks, if it is not altered, it will become a law. According to BBC, the change has been pushed for by the left-leaning Podemos party, which is in a coalition government with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's Socialist party. The feminist lobby in Spain, meanwhile, warns that "it might diminish women's rights."

The legislation mandates that children between the ages of 14 and 16 travel with their parents or legal guardians, while those between the ages of 12 and 13 need a judge's approval. Until recently, applicants had to provide proof of two years of hormone therapy and a gender dysphoria diagnosis, which is the feeling that one's biological sex does not correspond to their gender identity. Media reports suggest that minors required judicial consent as well.

The bill also calls for a prohibition on so-called conversion treatments that are used to repress sexual orientation or gender identity. If it were to become law, it would also impose fines and penalties for assaults against LGBTQ individuals. A prohibition against lesbian couples registering their children under both parents' names will also be lifted.

In Europe, Denmark was the first country to approve a self-identification system for people who want to change their legal gender in 2014. In total, more than a dozen other countries have already adopted similar legislation.