Abolish the TSG, Introduce a

Self-Determination Law

Why a new Law? TheTranssexuellengesetz (Transsexual Law), introduced in 1980, regulates how trans* people can legally change their name and gender entry in Germany.However, this law does not live up to its claims. Instead, obstacles are put in the way of trans* people:The process of changing name and gender entry requires two independent psychological assessments and a court hearing. This is discriminatory, takes forever and is very expensive.The Self-Determination Act is intended to replace the TSG and make it easy to change the name and gender entry by self-disclosure at the Standesamt (registry office).

24 Nov 2021 Coalition Agreement Already in the coalition agreement, the parties SPD, FDP and the Greens agree on abolishing the TSG and replacing it with a Self-Determination Law (see Link p. 95).

Coalition Agreement (German)

30 Jun 2022 Key Issues Paper The key issues paper by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth and the Federal Ministry of Justice lays down the fundamental key points of the Self-Determination Act.This stipulates that it should be possible to change the first name and gender entry by self-disclosure at the Standesamt (registry office). A regulation for minors is also mentioned. In addition, a blocking period of one year is set to prevent abuse.

Key Issues Paper (German)

09 May 2023 Draft Bill The Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth and the Federal Ministry of Justice are jointly developing a first draft of the Self-Determination Act, which will then be discussed with associations and organizations.The draft bill generally adheres to the goals previously set in the key issues paper. There are new exceptions for detention centers and in house law (e.g. for women's saunas). In addition, the ability for cis men to change their gender entry is restricted in the event of war to prevent them from avoiding a convening.Note: The draft bill is public now and can be discussed by associations and organizations.

Draft Bill (German) FAQ (German)

Government Draft From the consultations with the associations and organizations, the federal government creates the government draft, the preliminary version of the legal text, which will later be discussed in the Bundestag (Parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany).

1st Reading In the first reading in the Bundestag (Parliament), the government draft is debated for the first time together with the other parties. After that, the bill will be passed to the relevant committees, where it will be discussed further.

2nd Reading The second reading in the Bundestag (Parliament) discusses the results of the committees. Individual members of the Bundestag can request changes.

3rd Reading and Final Vote At the end of the third reading, a final vote is taken on the law.

Entry into Force If the Bundesrat (Federal Council) has no objections, the law will be published and will come into force on a specific date.

Hi, I'm Kim (they/them)! As a non-binary person, I've been waiting for the Self-Determination Act for ages.The deadlines for the law set by the federal government are constantly being pushed back and little is revealed about the progress of the project.On this page I want to give the Self-Determination Law the necessary transparency and document the current status of the legislation. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to contact me via e-mail: mail@kimendisch.de The contents of this site have been carefully researched and created to the best of my knowledge and belief. However, no liability is assumed for the correctness of the information.