Janboris Retz does not fit the definitions of “male" and “woman" - found out early on that none of them suited him. Retz is non-binary, i.e. is neither a man nor a woman, but somehow both, but neither of them, says ARD. Because of this, Retz now wants to make things official, remove the entered gender and add the name Yanboris to Anne-Katrin.
„Until I was born, my mother thought I would be a girl and I would be named Anne-Kathrin,", Retz told the German social-legal media. The mother obviously had her reasons, and in the future this will also be reflected in his passport, the publication continues.
Retz is 47 years old, worked for the German public-law media Südwestrundfunk (SWR), and is now a freelancer.
Hassle-free gender change
In principle, everyone who is of legal age can submit a request to change the registered gender at the civil registration services or request the removal of the definition altogether. This was possible until now, but for this purpose two psychological examinations, medical examinations and a court decision were necessary. Now all this is no longer the case, and submitting the request costs about 30 euros, explains ARD.
Retz has not been considering officially entering his identity into the documents since today. But the procedure so far has been fraught with too many obstacles. “It was clear to me that this would last indefinitely. "I would have had to hear humiliating questions and spend thousands on examinations so that a judge could finally decide who I am and who I can be," says Retz.
In recent years, the Federal Constitutional Court has repeatedly raised requests for legal improvements regarding people from the LGBTI community, including in the 1981 Act on Transgender People - the contested predecessor of the regulation that came into force today. Each time, the Federal Constitutional Court has pointed out the humiliating situation of those affected, states ARD.
The current ruling coalition was able to reach an agreement on the Self-Determination Act, which was passed by the Bundestag in April.
There are already thousands of requests
Since the beginning of August, transgender and intersex people have the opportunity to submit a request to the civil registration services to change their registered gender. Thousands of people have benefited from this already in the first three months, ie. much more than in the previous procedure, informs the DPA agency.
Civil registration offices, however, often did not know how to treat the requests and what specific decisions to make. According to the law, three months must pass between the request and the appearance before the civil services - for a kind of consideration, ARD points out. “I don't know a single person who spontaneously sets out to change their name and gender. But even if it were so - medical interventions still require appropriate medical and therapeutic assistance," says Retz.
Special requirements for minors
The Gender Self-Determination Act makes no mention of medical interventions, i.e. for gender reassignment by operative or hormonal means - only a request to the civil registration services is needed.
Minors under the age of 14 can submit such a request only accompanied by their parents or a relevant guardian. The child must agree to this and must be present when the application is submitted.
From the age of 14 onwards, the change request can be submitted independently, but only with the consent of the parents or the guardian. If they are against it, minors aged 14 and over can appeal to the family court. His commitment is to determine what would be best for the child, what would cause him more or less suffering. If the family court decides to enforce the will of a minor 14 years of age or older, it may override the opinion of the parents or guardian.
However, Retz does not believe that the new Law on Gender Self-Determination abolishes all forms of discrimination. But for him personally, the easing of the procedure for changing his name and gender brings him peace of mind, he also tells ARD.