@openlynews: Trans rights advocates in Germany have criticised plans by the government to restrict legal gender change during war - a measure that seeks to stop men from abusing proposed trans self-ID rules to evade military conscription. Germany's government last month approved draft legislation allowing people to change their legal gender simply by visiting the local civil registry office, a move that was initially welcomed by LGBTQ+ rights campaigners. But trans advocates say the proposed wartime restrictions contained in the self-ID bill - which must still be approved by parliament - raise doubts about the government's commitment to self-determination. One of the articles of the draft bill includes stipulations for legal gender change in "a case of tension or defence" – a legal state that has never been declared in Germany but could be applied if, for example, the country was under attack. The section states that if someone assigned male at birth tries to change legal gender during such a period or up to two months beforehand, they would still be considered male for the purposes of military conscription. The German Family Ministry, one of the ministries responsible for the bill, said changing legal gender would still be possible if "a case of tension or defence" was invoked, but that the provision was necessary to guarantee national security. "The purpose of the regulation is to prevent the evasion of compulsory military service in the event of tension or defense and thus to ensure the defence capability of the Federal Republic of Germany," a ministry spokeswoman told Openly. LGBTQ+ activists say the wartime regulations and other articles in the bill - such as restrictions for migrants awaiting deportation - reflect persistent discrimination towards trans people by raising questions about the veracity of trans identities. "This article of the bill is really feeding into the stereotype that trans people don't really exist, that they're people trying to cheat and trans women actually are men, and that in times of war we don't have time for 'luxury items' like gender identity," said Richard Koehler, senior policy officer at advocacy group Transgender Europe, adding that “it (also comes) from a very outdated understanding of gender: the idea of the male hero being the defender of the nation and the female giving birth, staying home and taking care of the nation." #lgbtqnews #lgbtqrights #transawareness #transrights #germany #lgbtgermany #berlin

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Tuesday 19 September 2023 14:45:18 GMT