Transsexuals Act (Germany)

Transsexuals Act
German Bundestag
  • Law on changing first names and determining gender in special cases
    German: Gesetz über die Änderung der Vornamen und die Feststellung der Geschlechtszugehörigkeit in besonderen Fällen
CitationTranssexuellengesetz (TSG)
Territorial extentGermany
Passed byGerman Bundestag
Passed4 July 1980
Passed byGerman Bundesrat
Passed4 July 1980
Signed byPresident Karl Carstens
Signed8 September 1980
Commenced1 January 1981
Repealed1 November 2024
Repealed by
Self-Determination Act
Summary
German Federal Act on the Change of Gender and First Name in Civil Status
Status: Repealed

The Transsexuals Act (German: Transsexuellengesetz, TSG) was a German federal law that allowed people who did not feel they belonged to their gender to change their first name and gender in their civil status.

To changed either name or gender, two independent medical court experts had to be commissioned by the judge. They were asked to evaluate, whether

  • the person "does not identify with the birth-assigned sex/gender, but with the other one", and
  • "feels a compulsion to live according to his/her ideas for at least three years", and
  • it is to be assumed with high probability, that the feeling of belonging to the other sex/gender is not going to change".

The law was repealed and replaced by the Self-Determination Act on 1 November 2024.