German Transexual

German Transexual
'We just want the same rights as you'
German Bundeswehr's first transgender commander

Date
31.03.2021

Author
Elliot Douglas

Keywords
transsexual ,
transgender ,
gender ,
self-determination

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Trans* people in Germany are subjected to a long, expensive assessment process to change their legal gender. Efforts to introduce a new self-determination law have been delayed — but activists say it is badly needed.
Felicia Rolletschke is a trans* activist, workshop leader and public speaker
"Degrading, expensive and illogical" — that is how one trans* person described her experience of legally changing her gender in Germany.
Felicia Rolletschke is one of many activists who is fighting for a reform to the so-called Transsexual Law, which determines the legal process for trans* people to change their gender and name in Germany.
The law has been in place for exactly 40 years, as of 2021. During this time many countries around the world have seen great upheaval in their legislation around trans * rights. The top German constitutional court has also recommended a change in the law several times, most recently in 2011.
The German government confirmed in February 2021 they had drafted a bill of a new "self-determination law" ( Selbstbestimmungsgesetz ), after it was leaked on an ultraconservative website. While the bill has not been published officially, activists hoped its existence meant they could expect streamlining and modernization of the process. But the government has made it clear that no such reform can be expected any time soon.
"It really is such a hassle and inconvenience to change your legal name and gender," Rolletschke explained. She should know — she went through the process herself, between 2015 and 2018.
Rolletschke is a 26-year-old workshop leader and public speaker based in Berlin. After growing up in a "very Catholic" Bavarian village of 4,000 people, she moved to the German capital at the age of 17 to attend university. It was there that she came out as a trans* woman for the first time, at 21.
After coming to terms with her identity and coming out to friends and family, Rolletschke began the process of legally changing her name and gender in the German courts.
Last December, the Oscar-nominated star of "Juno" came out as a transgender man, revealing his new name and pronouns — he/they — in a letter to fans posted on social media. In his first in-depth interview since coming out, the "Umbrella Academy" actor told Time magazine that he wants to use his "privilege and platform" to help other trans people.
As Elliot Page pointed out in his coming out letter, "discrimination towards trans people is rife." Just before Page made his announcement, Laverne Cox, another prominent transgender activist, detailed on Instagram a recent transphobic attack in Los Angeles. The "Orange is the New Black" star is the first openly transgender woman to be nominated for an Emmy for acting.
Retired US Olympic gold medal-winning decathlete Caitlyn Jenner is one of the most renowned people to have publicly transitioned. She revealed her new name and gender on the cover of "Vanity Fair" in 2015, posing for renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz. The TV personality's announcement paved the way for new conversations about transitioning and trans rights.
Standard advice when referring to trans people: Avoid using their birth names, since "deadnaming" misgenders the person and dismisses their identity expression. The son of singers Sonny Bono and Cher, Chaz Bono, transitioned from female to male from 2008-2010. A documentary on Bono's experience, "Becoming Chaz," came out in 2011.
The activist, YouTube and TV star's shows focus on her experiences as a transgender youth. Born in 2000, Jazz Jennings was diagnosed with gender dysphoria at the age of five, making her one of the youngest publicly documented people to be identified as transgender. A year later, she started appearing on television with her family to talk about the challenges of her identity.
Bosnian-Australian model Andreja Pejic came out as a trans woman in 2013. She was the first transgender woman to appear on the cover of GQ magazine. She also made her acting debut in the 2018 crime thriller film "The Girl in the Spider's Web."
Originally coming into the spotlight for disclosing classified information on WikiLeaks, the former Army intelligence analyst was imprisoned for several years. On the day after her sentencing in 2013, Chelsea Manning's attorney announced her gender and new name. She was released after Barack Obama commuted her 35-year sentence; Manning has remained a public figure through her speaking engagements.
The Wachowskis are best known as the creators of the "Matrix" films. Lana (right) completed her transition by 2010. This photo is from 2012, before Lilly Wachowski also came out as a transgender woman. They have since co-directed "Sense8," a Netflix science-fiction series that explores issues related to identity, sexuality, gender and politics.
"In late 2015, before I even came out properly, I found a really good therapist," Rolletschke said. "Then we agreed I should begin the paperwork for the court in order to change my name, even before I began hormone therapy and surgery. But in order to get that process started, I needed to pay €1,600 ($1,955)."
This payment is often a barrier for trans* people , especially those who are younger and lack independent resources. Rolletschke was also hampered by being under 25, meaning any state financial support she could receive was assessed based on her parents' income.
But by this time her mother had cut off contact with her.
"It shouldn't be a requirement to have enough money lying around in order to change your legal name," Rolletschke said.
According to Kalle Hümpfner from the German Trans* Association (BVT), this amount is typical. "We often see costs of several thousand euros," they said. "These hurdles are far too high."
After an initial hearing with a judge, the money is needed for applicants to pay for two "expert opinions" — in almost all cases, licensed psychotherapists — who both need to independently assess the trans* person in question.
"You are assigned the psychotherapists [by the court]," Rolletschke explained. "You can request which ones you get and in Berlin normally you are assigned who you want — but that is not necessarily common in the rest of Germany."
Rolletschke described her experience with the psychotherapists as mostly based on "old-fashioned gender roles."
"My two assessments each took two hours, four hours in total. They are psychological assessments where they talk about your entire life story. They ask about sexual experiences, sexual orientation, fetishes, family structures. They covered many topics that were not relevant to gender," she said.
As someone trying to change her legal gender to female, Rolletschke believed she was particularly judged based on her adherence to a stereotypical female appearance.
"They judged how well my makeup was applied. They also noted that I crossed my legs when I sat down," she said. "And they judged my sexual orientation. For example, if you are a trans* woman and you are interested in men exclusively, that means bonus points."
"It felt like they came from a place of pathologization. They seem to believe that being trans* is a mental illness."
The idea that being transgender is a mental disorder was dismissed by the World Health Organization in 2019.
The assessors then submit their findings to the relevant judge. According to Hümpfner, 99% of the expert opinions ultimately come to the same conclusion as what the trans* person has said about themselves.
"They are not only superfluous, but can also be degrading and invasive for trans* people," said Hümpfner.
Rolletschke had to wait another two months after her assessments before, in early 2018, she received the letter that her change of gender and name had been approved. All in all, the process had lasted over two years and cost thousands of euros, hours of her time and a great deal of stress.
It is this process that the self-determination law hopes to simplify, by replacing the 40-year-old Transsexual Law. Two separate bills, proposed by opposition parties the Greens and the pro-business FDP in 2020, call for a system that would allow self-determination for those aged 14 and above.
"From the age of 14, young people can decide independently of their parents whether to join or leave a religious community," Hümpfner pointed out. "Freedom of religion is a fundamental right. The recognition of one's own gender identity is also protected by fundamental rights such as the protection of human dignity or the right to the free development of personality."
The proposed change to the law would allow individuals to change their legal gender. T his does not affect the process to receive hormone treatment or surgery, which is carried out separately in consultation with a medical doctor.
"The thing is — legally changing your name is not that irreversible a step," said Rolletschke . "And even if people do regret that step, that is the one thing that is easy to reverse."
There is precedence for reforms for trans * rights in Germany — the Transsexual Law was amended in previous decades to remove a requirement for infertility and evidence of surgery before applicants could change their gender.
In 2017, Germany added a third legal gender — "divers" — to the options on official forms.
In March 2021, Germany passed legislation to recognize and protect intersex children.
But a law of self-determination would bring Germany up to speed with many European Union partners and other countries around the world.
Activists had hoped that the bill would make further progress before the general election planned in September 2021, but developments appear to have stalled.
Rolletschke is not convinced there will be progress any time soon.
"I really see German legislation as too conservative at the moment," Rolletschke said. "But I think it is really good we had a conversation about it."
"Just talking about changing this archaic law is a step in the right direction. I hope it will work, but I am not too optimistic."
Editor's note: This article was updated in March 2021 from a previous version to reflect recent developments
While you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society, with an eye toward understanding this year’s elections and beyond. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter Berlin Briefing, to stay on top of developments as Germany enters the post-Merkel era.
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By Mail Foreign Service Updated: 07:34 BST, 5 February 2009
German teenager Kim Petras who became the world's youngest transsexual after undergoing an operation at the age of just 16 says she can't wait for the summer so she can try out a whole new wardrobe of tight fitting clothes.
The pop singer - born Tim - is well known in Germany for having started hormone replacement therapy as part of her gender transition by the age of 12.
Now 16, she completed Gender Reassignment Surgery in November, according to a posting on her blog.
Switch: Kim Petras is currently the world's youngest transsexual after having gender reassignment surgery earlier this year at the age of 16
Dr Bernd Meyenburg who heads the Psychiatric Special Outpatient Clinic for Children and Adolescents with Identity Disorders at the University of Frankfurt Hospital said: 'Very few youth psychiatrists have any experience with transsexual developments. The families wander from one psychiatrist to the next.
'I was always against such operations on children so young but after seeing how happy one of my patients was and how well adjusted after returning from having the operation abroad while still a teenager – I realised that in some cases it is the right decision.
'Kim is such a case – she always knew what she wanted.'
Kim herself said: 'Everything has changed because of this operation. I just can't wait to put on my favourite bathing suit and go swimming like I've never done before.
'I had to wait until my 16th birthday but once that was past I was able legally to have the operation.
'I know that because of my past people will always bring up the subject, I can't get away from it. But I hope that one day I might be better known for something else like my music.'
In Germany, such operations are not usually allowed until the patient is 18.
However Kim managed to convince doctors when she was just 12 that she should have the surgery.
By 14 she was officially registered as a girl - and was already famous for her choice.
The costs of her procedure were covered by health insurance as her condition was officially diagnosed as an illness.
Dr Achim Wuesthof, an endocrinologist specialising in children and adolescents, who was treating Kim at a clinic in Hamburg, said that he and his colleagues felt that in this case it had been best to start earlier.
He said: 'To the best of my knowledge, Kim is the youngest sex change patient in the world.
'According to German law, two independent psychiatrists must confirm that the child is indeed transsexual and approve the sex change. Once that has been done, it is best to start as early as possible.
'Transsexuals experience the onset of puberty, and the physical changes it brings, as a serious trauma.
'But there is a general lack of empathy with cases like Kim's, mostly because people know little about the condition. Imagine a man that suddenly starts growing breasts or a woman that starts growing a beard against their will – that is how Kim and people like her experience puberty.
'They are not freaks, nor do they suffer mental illness. They are simply trapped in the wrong bodies. That is why it is best to help them as early as possible and reduce the trauma for them and their families.'
Last year Kim was signed to Joyce Records and released online her first single 'Last Forever'.
It became a YouTube and MySpace hit.
In September - just weeks before the cosmetic surgery finalising her transition from a male to a female -she released her first commercially available single 'Fade Away' into the German market.
Kim said: 'I was asked if I feel like a woman now – but the truth is I have always felt like a woman – I just ended up in the wrong body.
'I had a problem because I couldn't wear skinny stuff, but now I can wear whatever I want to. I really am looking forward to going swimming like everyone else and to wearing tight jeans that show off my figure. They are so tight, I always felt quite uncomfortable in them until now.
'Now I can go as tight as I want to. I used to wear mini skirts too, but yes, now even the tight ones can be part of my wardrobe.
'I can enjoy swimming, and bikinis, go in the changing rooms without a problem, everything has changed because of this operation. I just can't wait to put on my favourite bathing suit and go swimming like I've never done before.'
Kim, who is now studying fashion design, began calling herself a girl when she was just two years old.
Her father Lutz said: 'I suppose it took me longer than my wife to accept it, but Kim is a very persuasive girl, she knows what she wants and how to get it.
'I am very proud of what she has achieved, how she has managed to get there and how she sticks to her dreams no matter how hard and painful they are to follow.'
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Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd
Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group

'We just want the same rights as you'

Date
21.11.2019

Author
Rebecca Staudenmaier

Related Subjects
Bundeswehr , LGBT+ rights , LGBT+ , Germany

Keywords
Germany ,
"I am Anastasia" ,
Anastasia Biefang ,
transgender ,
military ,
Bundeswehr ,
LGBT+

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The documentary film depicts the life of Anastasia Biefang as she transitions and takes command of a German military battalion. Biefang says she wanted to show "there are transgender people in the Bundeswehr, too."
"I am Anastasia," a documentary film about the German military's first transgender commander premiered in theaters on Thursday.
The film follows Lieutenant Colonel Anastasia Biefang as she tells the story about how she came to realize she was transgender and came out to her colleagues at the height of her career when she was 40 years old.
It also depicts the reactions within the Bundeswehr when she took com
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