Sweden passes law lowering the minimum age to legally change gender to 16 andto get access to surgical interventions

[IwantToRetire]

Sweden's parliament on Wednesday passed a controversial law lowering the minimum age to legally change gender from 18 to 16 and making it easier to get access to surgical interventions.

The law passed with 234 votes in favour and 94 against in Sweden's 349-seat parliament.

While the Nordic country was the first to introduce legal gender reassignment in 1972, the proposal, aimed at allowing so-called "self-identification" and simplifying the procedure, sparked an intense debate in the country.

The debate has also weakened conservative Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's standing, after he admitted to caving into pressure from party members on the issue.

"The great majority of Swedes will never notice that the law has changed, but for a number of transgender people the new law makes a large and important difference," Johan Hultberg, an MP representing the ruling conservative Moderate Party, told parliament.

Beyond lowering the age, the new legislation is aimed at making it simpler for a person to change their legal gender.

"The process today is very long, it can take up to seven years to change your legal gender in Sweden," Peter Sidlund Ponkala, president of the Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex Rights (RFSL), told AFP.

Two new laws will go into force on July 1, 2025: one regulating surgical procedures to change gender, and one regulating the administrative procedure to change legal gender in the official register.

Continues at https://uk.news.yahoo.com/sweden-passes-disputed-gender-reassignment-161441584.html

Slightly different version of same story with different details at https://uk.news.yahoo.com/swedish-parliament-votes-easier-people-141329520.html

[mrshoho]

Deplorable' -
A poll published this week suggested almost 60 percent of Swedes oppose the proposal, while only 22 percent back it.

Not really reading the room are they!

[mrshoho]

But Johan Hultberg with the Moderates of Sweden’s conservative prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, called the outcome “gratifying.” Hultberg called it “a cautious but important reform for a vulnerable group. I’m glad we’re done with it."

I hate the way it's spun as a little law that only affects a small, vulnerable group of people. They are bringing in self ID at the same time as lowering the age. This will have huge implications for women as we all know.

I just hope Sweden’s health service is better prepared than ours to counsel and guide young people. I wonder if they have read the Cass report at all?

[Empowermenomore]

So if they are not reading the room whose interests are they serving? It cannot be the interests of youth under 16? Will it be compensating Pharma for withdrawal of pb?

[mrshoho]

Elias Fjellander, chairman of the organization’s youth branch, said it would make life better for its members. “Going forward, we are pushing to strengthen gender-affirming care, to introduce a third legal gender and to ban conversion attempts,” Fjellander said in a statement.

What is this third legal gender?

[WickedSerious]

@mrshoho

But Johan Hultberg with the Moderates of Sweden’s conservative prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, called the outcome “gratifying.” Hultberg called it “a cautious but important reform for a vulnerable group. I’m glad we’re done with it."

I hate the way it's spun as a little law that only affects a small, vulnerable group of people. They are bringing in self ID at the same time as lowering the age. This will have huge implications for women as we all know.

I just hope Sweden’s health service is better prepared than ours to counsel and guide young people. I wonder if they have read the Cass report at all?

This.

How many times have we heard 'it's only a bit of paper'?

[heathspeedwell]

I read that only about 20% of the Swedish people were in favour of this new law and around 60% against, which is interesting.

Overall haven't the numbers of young people in Sweden who question their gender dropped dramatically since the Swedish U turn?

[Chersfrozenface]

@mrshoho

Elias Fjellander, chairman of the organization’s youth branch, said it would make life better for its members. “Going forward, we are pushing to strengthen gender-affirming care, to introduce a third legal gender and to ban conversion attempts,” Fjellander said in a statement.

What is this third legal gender?

That'll be "non-binary".

[MarieDeGournay]

Over on Craicnet I've been posting outlines of 'debates' on the Gender Recognition in Ireland around 2010-2015ish. It now looks hopelessly outdated because of the uncritical acceptance of WPATH, Yogyakarta Principles, born in wrong body, most marginalised community, violence and discrimination yadda yadda.
We may be at a turning point in Ireland where brave opposing voices, the Cass Report and a recent trouncing in a referendum are forcing politicians to rethink.. maybe, fingers crossed.
So reading this, it feels like Swedish legislators are stuck back in the 2010s, hopelessly out of touch not only with their own public opinion, but current research and best practice.
There's a stubborn wilfulness to this which is hard to explain, the best explanation I can think of is it's a great way to get back at women who were getting above their station with their feminist notions...

[MultiPolarista]

I really struggle with how hard this is being pushed by the PMC.
The Swedish politicians must know its not popular, and I suspect they also know about the change is medical advice for kids, so...
Who is this for? and why?

[IcakethereforeIam]

It's very peculiar, this is the second article I've read that claims this law was passed despite it being very difficult to find a person, including politicians, who'll admit to being in favour of it

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/how-sweden-fell-again-for-transgender-madness/

[SoupDragonsFriend]

@mrshoho

Elias Fjellander, chairman of the organization’s youth branch, said it would make life better for its members. “Going forward, we are pushing to strengthen gender-affirming care, to introduce a third legal gender and to ban conversion attempts,” Fjellander said in a statement.

What is this third legal gender?

What happens when someone identifying as the third gender, who presumably now has this on their own country's ID documents, enters a different country and the authorities need to search them at the border, or they immediately get arrested for something unrelated. How would the new country without third gender status cope?