The much-criticized Gender Reassignment Act (Könsbyteslagen) comes into force on 1 July – and it is clear that, in practice, a single digital healthcare visit will often be enough to “change” legal gender.
The Nordic TImes has previously highlighted the law – which was pushed through by Ulf Kristersson with the help of Moderate MPs who were actually against it but who still voted yes in the end, because they were afraid of otherwise losing their jobs or risking other reprisals.
The newspaper has also highlighted criticism of the law – including from Jovanna Dahlgren, professor of pediatric endocrinology, who believes that the amended legislation risks having a very large negative consequence for vulnerable young people.
– There is more and more information and facts that indicate that the sharp increase in gender dysphoria in the last 15-20 years is largely due to the fact that many girls have an identity crisis, and it comes quite suddenly in adolescence, she argued.
Dahlgren also points out that “very many” young people who are reported to suffer from gender dysphoria also have autistic traits or diagnoses, and that it often seems to be a temporary identity crisis – which is why a quick gender change is not an optimal solution.
“Based on individual self-determination”
However, the criticism was dismissed, and in a month and a half the new legislation will come into force. One major change will be that a diagnosis of transsexualism will no longer be required to “change” one’s legal gender – only a “simpler medical examination”.
The “assessments” will not only be carried out by psychologists or psychotherapists, but also by health care counselors. According to the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare’s guidance, in most cases a single online medical visit will be sufficient to obtain a certificate that can then be used to change a person’s gender in the national register
– It’s important to remember that this is a regulation that is largely based on the individual’s own self-determination and where the process should also be simple, says Pär Ödman, chief legal adviser at the National Board of Health and Welfare, to state radio SR.
“Completely unreasonable”
Another major change will be that you no longer need to be an adult to undergo the “sex change” – as long as you have parental consent, this process can be carried out as early as the age of 16.
Linda Lindberg, leader of the Sweden Democrats, calls the new law “completely unreasonable” and notes that it is a very vulnerable group that now risks feeling even worse.
– These are usually people who are questioning their identity and who are certainly not feeling very well. This is not the right way to deal with this type of care issue, absolutely not.
However, Ulrika Vesterlund, spokesperson for the Green Party on LGBTI issues, disagrees with this criticism and instead says that it “sounds good” that the legal gender reassignment processes are now being simplified.
